


Fairy Tail: Beginnings

by MarionetteRose



Series: Fairy Tail: Future Generation [1]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Adoption, Angst, Character Death, Children, F/M, Family, Fluff, Friendship, Future, Gen, Human Experimentation, Love, Magic, Original Character(s), Original Ideas, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Pain
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:08:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 21,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28478967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarionetteRose/pseuds/MarionetteRose
Summary: A new generation of Fairy Tail's members are on the path to greatness. But first, they need to grow up.
Relationships: Gray Fullbuster/Juvia Lockser, Jellal Fernandes/Erza Scarlet, Laxus Dreyar/Mirajane Strauss, Levy McGarden/Gajeel Redfox, Lucy Heartfilia & Loke, Natsu Dragneel/Lucy Heartfilia
Series: Fairy Tail: Future Generation [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2084091
Comments: 11
Kudos: 23





	1. Prologue

**X798**

"Oh, My God! She's so cute!" Mira cooed, watching as a tiny baby girl wrapped up in a red blanket blinked up at the white-haired mage before babbling in happiness. Mira squealed some more and Erza shook her head, a fond smile on her lips as she watched her fellow S-class mage melt over her 1-month-old daughter. The child was adorable, possessing brown eyes and short, thin purple hair. Her smile was the cutest part of her though, so bright, it just warmed Erza's heart. "I'm in love!"

"We're glad to hear that," Jellal commented, coming to stand next to Erza, a soft smile on his face. "I was afraid you'd be jealous."

"I am! Who wouldn't be jealous of such an adorable baby!" Mira continued to coo, and the baby reacted by babbling and giggling.

"So, what's her name?" Laxus asked, peering down at the babbling bundle of happiness. Even he had a soft smile on his face.

"Brooke," Jellal responded. "We decided to name her after the stream where she was born."

"Oh yeah, I forgot Erza ended going into labour during a job," Mira commented, causing Erza to flush red. Yes, she'd worked all throughout her pregnancy, so what? 

"There's a stream called Brooke?" Laxus questioned, and Jellal shook his head.

"No, her name means stream." Jellal clarified, and Laxus nodded in understanding. Brooke babbled up at them, and Laxus leaned down to get a better look at her face. Brooke blinked up at the lighting mage before reaching up and trying to capture his nose, making Laxus blink in surprise.

"Aww! I want one!" Mira cooed again, causing Laxus to stand up straight and look at her.

"Seriously?" He questioned, sounding sceptical. The new couple proceeded into a conversation about babies, which Erza promptly ignored to pay attention to her own one. Brooke made grabbing hands at Erza's face, and she smiled warmly. Jellal reached his hand down, allowing Brooke to capture a finger and hold onto it tight.

"She's a warrior." He commented, surprised at the strong grip the baby possessed. "Just like her mother." Erza shot him an embarrassed smile before going back to the bundle in her arms. Brooke then decided she wanted more then Jellal's finger and tried reaching for the man's nose, babbling and giggling. She was utterly perfect...

* * *

** X799 **

Sighing, Gray rested his head against the bathroom door, paying close attention to the hurling sounds his bride was making. She'd been like this at the start of each day for the past week, and it was beginning to seriously stress him out. It just wasn't like Juvia to be this sick. Something was definitely up. He thought back over the past week, trying to come up with a reason as to why she would be feeling like this. They hadn't been on any dangerous jobs or ran into any strange magic, so that was out.

The sound of the bathroom door unlocking brought Gray back to reality. He looked up from his spot on the ground as Juvia emerged, looking much better now that she'd hurled up the breakfast they'd just ate. "Feeling better?" He asked, and Juvia nodded, then collapsed on the floor next to him.

"I'm sorry, my beloved. You spent so long making that breakfast." She pouted, and Gray smiled at her.

"It's cool." He was glad she was looking better. Juvia continued to pout, so Gray wrapped his arm around her neck and pulled her over, letting her rest against his bare chest. Her cheeks went red at the gesture, but she didn't resist. "We need to find out what's going on with you, though." He continued and felt Juvia nodded against his skin.

"Yes. I don't want our wedding ceremony to be ruined. I've waited so long for it!" Gray hummed, cheeks getting a dusting of red as he thought about her words. That's right. They were officially tying the knot in a few weeks time. The thought of spending the rest of his life with the overly-affectionate water mage caused Gray to smile and hold her tighter. Suddenly, Juvia stiffened and pulled out his grasp. Then she was back in the bathroom.

Gray blinked at the door slammed in his face, then sighed as he heard retching once again. His cooking wasn't that bad, was it? The throwing up didn't last as long this time around, but Juvia didn't come out right away this time. Gray frowned as the minutes stretch on and he was about to get up and go in when the door finally opened back up, Juvia coming out with an embarrassed look on her face. "What's up?" He asked as Juvia sat back down next to him.

All she did was hand him a funny looking lacrima. He frowned down at it. He'd never seen this kind of lacrima before. No, wait! He had! He'd seen them in the girl's sections of stores when Erza or Lucy had forced him to go along on one of their shopping trips. It was a Pregnancy Lacrima. And it was showcasing a plus with the word 'Pregnant' underneath it. Gray blinked. Juvia was pregnant? He looked at her, shock flooding his system.

"I'm sorry! It was the only thing I could think of that could be causing my morning sickness since your cooking is amazing! I wasn't entirely sure if you wanted children so I thought I'd check and -" Juvia's rambling was cut off when Gray wrapped her in a hug, holding her tight. Tears welled in his eyes, and he felt Juvia relax in his embrace before returning it. They were really going to start a family! Gray just couldn't believe it. He was really going to be a father...

* * *

**X800**

Sandalled feet hit the pavement of Magnolia at such speed that anybody lucky enough to spot the sprinting fire mage would think he'd eaten Erza's cake and was running for his life. But that was far from the truth. He wasn't running for his life; he was running towards his new one. He willed his feet to go faster, hoping, praying he'd make it to the guildhall in time. Of course, she'd go into labour while he wasn't in town. The Fairy Tail guildhall's silhouette came into view, and Natsu picked up his pace, somehow going even faster. He burst through the guild's doors, nearly taking them off their hinges.

Everyone turned to look at him, not at all surprised by his panicked and concerned look. "Where is she?" He asked, voice frantic.

"Natsu! Come quickly. She's just about ready!" Mira's voice sounded throughout the guildhall, coming from the medical bay, and the fire mage was off and racing towards the infirmary faster then most of the surrounding mages could register. He burst through the door, his eyes immediately going to the blonde female mage he called his partner. His best friend. His mate. She was sitting on a bed, legs up and spread apart, covered in a cloth, sweat running down her skin as she panted heavily. Natsu raced over, not paying any mind to everyone else in the room.

"I'm here now." He soothed her, grabbing her hand and creasing it.

"Natsu..." She muttered weakly. Natsu bent down and kissed her forehead, earning him a tried smile.

"You're almost there, Lucy. Just one more big push." Wendy insisted, and Lucy nodded. She was then sitting up and groaning, clutching Natsu's hand as she pushed with all her might. Natsu closed his eyes and wished he had the power to protect her from the pain she was feeling or at least give her the strength to get through this. But he could only hope and pray that the strength she held inside would be enough. Suddenly, a baby's cries interrupt his thoughts, and he opened his eyes, looking over at Wendy to see her wrapping something up in a bundle.

Then she was standing and walking over to Lucy and Natsu. "It's a girl." She told them, and both mages could feel tears welling up in their eyes. Lucy reached out, and Wendy handed her the child she'd just spent the last 6 hours giving birth to. Natsu took in the sight of his child, of his daughter. Though she had a pink tuff of hair, her brown eyes made her look just like Lucy. He reached out his hand and stroked the baby's cheek as it cried. She was perfect.

"Roxy it is then." He said, and Lucy chuckled as she cradled the precious bundle of life in her hands. "Roxy Dragneel."


	2. A New Job

** X803 **

"Daddy! Daddy! Look what I found." A three-year-old little girl with pink hair and brown eyes squealed, running up to Natsu with unequalled joy on her face. Natsu turned and looked down at the girl as she held up what she'd found. "It's a rock with your face on it!" Said rock was scorched, and a bad smiley face had been drawn into it. Natsu smiled down at his daughter.

"Looks great!" He said, and Roxy beamed brightly at him before hugging the rock close to her chest in pride.

"The resemblance is uncanny," Gray commented from his spot next to the dragon slayer, and Natsu kicked him under the table in annoyance. Ever since Roxy had been born, Natsu had tried to resist how many brawls him and Gray got into, not wanting to anger Lucy as she thought he was 'setting a bad example.' Gray just kicked him back.

"Where'd you find it?" He asked, and Roxy grinned up at him.

"Out the back!" She said, before going back to her rock.

"Yeah, there's a bunch of them outside." A voice said, and Natsu watched as a four-year-old boy with dark blue hair and grey eyes came to stand next to Roxy, looking confused. Natsu ducked his head, thinking back on all the battles the guild had been forced to endure and felt a surge of pity for the surrounding nature. There was probably more than burned rocks out there.

"Did you find anything, Jace?" Gray asked his son, and Jace shook his head, sending a glare Gray's way. 

"Nope! Even if I had, I wouldn't give it to you!" Gray just smiled at his stand-offish son. He now understood the struggle Ur must have gone through when he was young, as Jace was the exact same. 

"I fine something!" A four-year-old girl said, racing past Jace and Roxy to stand in front of Gray. Her hair was a lighter shade of dark blue, and her eyes were blue. She held out a flower crown to her father. "It for you, daddy! I given mummy hers!" Gray smiled down at the little girl. She wasn't as great at speaking as her brother was just yet.

"It looks great, Kay." He said, picking it up and putting it on his head, which earned him a snicker from Natsu, which earned the dragon slayer a kick to the shin. "Did you make it?" Kay nodded her head. 

"Yep! By myself!" Gray figured. Jace wouldn't be caught dead making a flower crown with his twin sister, not even if she begged and pleaded with him. And Roxy tended to break anything delicate she touched. Like father, like daughter.

"So, you three had fun?" Natus asked, and all three children nodded.

"That's good to hear," Erza said, coming up to stand behind them. "Because watching trouble makers like you is hard work, even for me." She smiled down at them, though it was a bit dim. It was always dim these days. Kay huffed.

"I no trouble maker!" She retorted

"I am!" Roxy said proudly, causing Natsu to smile with pride. He stood up and picked Roxy up in his arms.

"And there is nothing wrong with that!" He said, and Roxy agreed with a cheer. Gray shook his head before turning to Erza, who was shaking her head at Natsu's behaviour.

"Thanks for looking after them. You didn't have too." He said, but Erza just smiled at him.

"It's no trouble. Besides, I wanted to." Gray nodded in understanding before turning back to his children, watching as the twins entered a bizarre conversation about flowers. Gray envied Jace in those moments. He was able to understand his sister better than him or Juvia sometimes could. It was like they had their own unique language. It was probably a twin thing.

"All right, you brats, listen up!" Gramps's voice sounded, and Gray looked up to see him looking very serious in his wheelchair. It had been confirmed a few years back that the likelihood of Gramps walking again was next to zero. Sad but everyone was still just grateful he was still around. And while he was no longer master, Laxus having taken over that title last year, he still acted like it. "The master is talking!

"You're not master anymore, Gramps!" Natsu yelled, having moved Roxy to sit on his shoulders. Gramps sent Natsu a glare, cheeks slightly flushed. Great, he'd been drinking.

"Listen, you brat! I was master of this guild for almost 70 years so if I want to make an announcement, I'll make an announcement!" Natsu rolled his eyes. The man had grown more grouchy since the Alvarez War. Everyone grumbled but didn't inhibit the man further. "Good! Now, listen carefully..." Everyone leaned forwards, waiting for the next's words out of the old man's mouth. "I demand all women in the guild wear swimsuits from now on!" 

All the woman in the guild immediately began protesting, calling the old man a perv as the men groaned and rolled their eyes. They should have all expected this. "Get serious, or Laxus will take over!" Mira threatened, causing the master to frown in misery.

"Party pooper." He muttered before coughing, that serious look coming back into his face. "An urgent job has come in, and I need a group of you to take it."

"What kind of job?" Erza asked, and a worried look overcame Makarov's face.

"A massive amount of magic power has been detected in a small town on the outskirts of Fiore called Freesia."

"Never heard of it," Gray commented, as he picked up Kay and put her in his lap after she tried and failed to climb up herself.

"It's a recently new town, only coming into existence a few years ago." Mira offered.

"The magic power there grows every day. At the minute, the amount detected there is enough to create an Etherion blast." Laxus said, sounding very serious. Everyone's eyes widened in fear and shock. 

"But an Etherion blast could wipe out an entire city!" Erza yelled, and Laxus nodded.

"Which is why we've been asked to go there and find out what is going on, and, if possible, neutralize the growing magic power." Erza blinked then looked down at the ground. What could possibly have the ability to draw in so much magic power that could equal an Etherion blast? Better yet, how was it still on the map? The Tower of Heaven ended up with that amount of magic power after being fired at by the magic council, but the lacrima containing all that magic power had begun to morph and disintegrate just minutes after the blast. Could this be another Tower of Heaven? Erza sighed. She really hoped not...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Roxy = 3  
> Jace = 4  
> Kay = 4


	3. Freesia

X803

"I can't believe you actually brought her along," Gray said, watching as Natsu walked, looking incredibly happy as Roxy rode on his shoulders. The three-year-old was currently looking around everywhere, trying to take in as much as she could.

"Yes. This mission is meant to be incredibly dangerous." Erza commented a small smile on her face despite her words as she watched Roxy take in the world around her. It was the first job she was going on.

"Well, I couldn't find a babysitter on such short notice," Lucy said, smiling at her daughter.

"You could have left her at the guild," Gray muttered.

"And have her miss out on this awesome opportunity? I don't think so." Natsu said, sounding incredibly proud of himself. He'd probably had to go through quite the discussion with Lucy to get the blonde mage to agree to bring their daughter along. The celestial mage was very overprotective of Roxy. Not that anyone could blame her. 

"Besides, she doesn't like being at the guild if we're not there. Remember the Forest Vulcan job?" Everyone did remember that job; more specifically, they remembered the tantrum Roxy had throw before and after the job. Even Mira had struggled to keep her cool around the wailing two-year-old. Granted, it'd been a year, and Roxy was doing better with separation, but Lucy didn't feel like testing the child just yet.

"As long as she doesn't get in the way, I suppose it's fine," Erza said, causing Lucy and Natsu to both smiled at her. She doubted the child would get in danger anyway, with Lucy's overprotectiveness and Natsu's firepower, as well as Gray, Happy and her around, the child was very safe from any threat. Erza looked around and took in the sight of her travelling companions. It had been a while since it'd been just them. Wendy and Carla had stopped going on so many jobs with them as Wendy got older. She now went on jobs with Romeo a lot. 

Not that Erza could blame her. They were at different stages of their lives, after all. Wendy had only recently become a full-fledged adult while everyone else was starting families of their own. Lucy and Natsu had Roxy, Gray and Juvia had Jace and Kay. Gajeel and Levy had two children as well, though one was a massive brat. Erza sighed and looked at the ground. Thinking about everyone's families made the ache in her heart grow bigger. She missed her so much. 

Jellal was out, following another lead and Erza couldn't blame him. It was hard to believe it had been four years since they'd lost her to that man. Erza had been afraid it would drive Jellal back to the darkness, but it had seemed to do the opposite. Their relationship was better than ever, and his path seemed to be following the light permanently, which was good. Erza wasn't sure she'd been able to survive if she'd lost them both.

"Do you feel that?" Natsu suddenly said, breaking Erza out of her trace. Now that she was paying attention, she knew precisely what Natsu was talking about. The massive amount of magic power ahead of them. It had to be Freesia. Erza couldn't believe it. They still had at least a four-hour walk ahead of them, but she could already feel so much magic power. It was unbelievable.

"Crazy. There's so much." Lucy muttered. Yes, the amount of magic power here far outweighed the amount used in an Etherion blast. It could probably be used to power several Etherion blasts and hundreds of Jupiter blasts. That thought alone was terrifying. The closer they got, the stronger the magic power got. Soon, they could see small balls of Ethernano in the air. Out of curiosity, Roxy ate one that drifted close to her mouth then made a strange face, causing everyone to chuckle.

"We're almost there, you guys. About an hour away." Happy commented, and they continued. Erza was in the lead, keeping a close eye out for the silhouettes of buildings to signify they were close. Suddenly, there was a shift in the magic power, causing everyone to stop. The small balls of Ethernano begin slowly heading in the direction they were heading, disappearing into the distance. The massive amount of magic power seemed to increase, though. The wind soon began to pick up, causing dead leaves and hair to blow in the wind.

"Feels like something's happening in Freesia." Gray offered, and Erza nodded.

"If we can see the signs of it happening out here, then it must be massive," Lucy said, a slight tremble in her voice. Natsu took Roxy down from his shoulders and handed her to Lucy before getting in front of her, determined to protect his family from whatever was happening. Suddenly, the magic power began to concentrate on one area, with all of it heading towards it. If Erza didn't know any better, she'd say an Etherion blast was about to be fired. The concentration of magic power grew bigger, gaining intensity. "What's happening?" Lucy asked, clutching Roxy tight as the wind picked up.

Then, as if the something broke, there was an enormous blast of magic power, a gigantic beam of pure magic power shooting up into the sky. Exactly where Freesia was. Erza requipped into her Adamantine Armor, preparing for the shock wave that was bound to come. Lucy, Natsu and Roxy, as well as Gray and Happy, hid behind the rock she was standing in front of. She connected her two shields just as the blast hit them. It was intense like she was holding back another Jupiter blast. But soon, it died down. Once it was all gone, Erza requipped back into her regular armour.

"Is everyone okay?" She asked, turning to check on her friends. They all seemed fine, the rock protecting them from anything her shield and armour could not.

"Yeah, we're fine, though, I wouldn't say the same for the nature around us." Erza frowned, before turning and noticing that the trees, bushes and rocks had been blown over, ripped from the ground or smashed into pieces. She looked ahead of them and noticed the beam of light had vanished, but the massive amount of magic power hadn't. It was just concentrated in one place now instead of everywhere. After checking on Roxy, who was unscathed both physically and mentally, they continued on their way, being ten times more cautious. When they finally reached the outskirts of Freesia, they were shocked at what they found.

There was no Freesia anymore. In the town's place was a massive crater, smoke still rising from the ground. Only the houses on the outskirts still stood, though they were crumbling, roofs collapsed inwards, walls missing. Erza was shocked. That burst of magic power had wiped out the entire town. She couldn't detect any signs of lif-

No, that was wrong. There was one sign of life, right in the centre of the crater. The smoke slowly began to clear, and Erza's eyes widened at the figure in the centre of the crater. It was a little girl, no older than five, with hair that was half black, half silver. She was sitting on her knees, hands covering her face though Erza could swear blood was leaking through her fingers. And she was crying. What on earth happened here...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Roxy = 3


	4. Welcome Home

**X803**

"What the hell happened here!?" Natsu yelled, causing the little girl in the centre of the crater to stiffen slightly. But she didn't stop crying. In fact, she seemed to cry harder. 

"Natsu!" Gray growled through closed teeth. Natsu took a look at him with a confused look on his face before finally seeming to spot the little girl in the crater.

"Woah, who's that? Did she cause this?" He asked, sounding surprised.

"She looks so young," Lucy commented, holding Roxy closer to her chest. Said three-year-old was snoozing away, having gotten tired after the excitement of the beam of magic before. Erza stared at the young child, sorrow filling her heart. She knew the look and effects of imprisonment when she saw it. Exactly what was Freesia hiding?

"Stay here. I'm going to go and talk to her." Erza said, her tone leaving no room for argument. If she had been a slave, then Erza was the only person who could offer the girl any kind of comfort. Slowly, Erza descended down into the crater, keeping her eyes on the little girl the whole time. The little girl didn't move at all, as if the world around her didn't exist. Erza didn't know anything about her except that she was giving off intense magic pressure. If she had to guess, she'd say this little girl was where all the magic power from before ended up. But how is that possible?

"Hello?" Erza started gently, not wishing to startle or upset the girl further. The little girl sniffed, her crying finally seeming to stop. Now that Erza was closer, she could clearly see blood running through the girl's fingers. Was her face injured? The little girl slowly took her hands away from her face, as if the action pained her, and sluggishly raised her head, trying to look up at Erza, whose heart stopped.

Three long, deep bleeding cuts were running diagonally down the little girl's face, starting from the top left corner of her face and finishing in the bottom right. The smallest one sat on her left cheek below her eye while the longest one ran across her left eye, which was severely damaged and overflowing with blood and tears, and across the right corner of her lip, which seemed untouched. The poor girl probably couldn't see out of her left eye at all. The third cut ran down the right side of her nose and down her right cheek. The injury was horrific and disgusted Erza. How can anyone do someone so cruel to a little girl?

But the injury wasn't the real reason Erza's heart had stopped, though it did play a part. No, it was the colour of the little girl's right eye. A deep, dark brown, just like her own. She'd never forget that eye colour anywhere. It couldn't be...could it? Erza stared harder at the girl, her heart rate picking up as hope began to swell in her chest. The longer she looked at the girl, the more resemblance she could see. Sure, it had been four years, and the hair colour was vastly different, but no amount of time could ever change that eye colour. Erza felt tears begin to swell up in her eyes.

"Brooke..." She uttered weakly, which made the little girl perk up slightly. Her right eye widened as it took in Erza. Seconds ticked by before tears began welling up in the girl's eyes once again.

"M-Mu-" She started but didn't finish as suddenly her eyes closed, and she was falling to the ground. Erza rushed over and caught her before bringing her close and holding onto her for dear life, not caring about the blood that was no doubt getting onto her clothes. She cried as she held the little girl. She'd found her. Her daughter, she'd finally found her. After four years of searching, she'd found the missing piece of her heart. Erza felt all traces of heartache vanish as she held the five-year-old closer. Her family would be whole once again.

After finally calming down, she heard her team approach. Turning to look at them, she saw smiles and tears in their eyes. It was times like that she was glad of Natsu's super hearing. She set Brooke down on the floor, remembering the horrible wounds of her face and heard Lucy gasp. Then, they got to work. Lucy helped clean off Brooke's face, using the medical items they'd brought along to cover the wounds with bandages. An eye patch went over Brooke's left eye, and Erza frowned at the familiar sight. She used to wear one just like it. After treating her face, they got to the rest of her body, which wasn't nearly as bad.

Soon, Gray, Natsu and Happy reported back from exploring the crater and leftover buildings. Brooke was the only person here alive. Anybody else who'd lived here had been killed by the explosion of magic power. Erza frowned and looked down at her daughter. If she was the cause of that explosion, then what exactly had happened to make her release so much? And why was she giving off so much magical pressure? She gave off next to none when she was a baby. And what about the horrific wounds on her face? Erza had so many questions.

A little while later, after setting up camp for the night, Brooke finally began to wake back up. Erza watched as the small figure opened her right eye with effort before it landed on Erza. The little girl blinked then smiled. "M-Mu..." She tried once again but couldn't get the word out.

"Shhh, I'm right here," Erza said, directing a glass of water with a straw in it to Brooke's mouth. She opened up and took a few swallows, never losing her smile.

"I-I kn...ew...y-you'd...fi-ine...me..." She stuttered, and Erza smiled down at her, tears welling up in her eyes once again, at her daughter's words and the struggle she went through to get them out.

"I never stopped looking." She said, running her hand down her daughter's face. "We never stopped looking, your father and I. Never." Brooke smiled some more. "Now get some sleep, when you wake up again, we'll be home," Erza said, stroking her daughter's newly coloured hair. She'd have to find out how that happened. Brooke nodded and closed her eyes, drifting back off to sleep, though much more peacefully this time. Erza bent down and kissed her forehead. She couldn't wait to tell Jellal that their daughter had come home...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Roxy = 3  
> Brooke = 5


	5. Family Reunited

**X803**

"Why is she so funning looking?" Roxy asked, causing Lucy to hush her. Erza simply smiled and rolled her eyes before going back to stroking her daughter's hair, Jellal napping alongside his daughter, head down on the medical bed. It had been three days since Brooke's discovery and returned to Fairy Tail. As expected, everyone had been ecstatic at the news, and Jellal had rushed home. He'd cried upon seeing her and the family had just held each other, content to be in each other's arms once again. Then they celebrated the Fairy Tail way.

The next day was when the reality of what had happened to Brooke set in. Both Wendy and Porlyusica had been by to tend to her wounds. According to Porlyusica, her left eye was still functioning correctly; it would just take time and special medication for it to return to a normal state, which was good news. Erza didn't want for her to lose it. Wendy had been able to heal Brooke's other bodily injures, but that was about it. When it came to her facial wounds, both her and Porlyusica stated they were unusual and there was nothing they could do about it. They would heal up just fine but scar. As for her hair, that was also a mystery. All Porlyusica could tell them was it was permanently stained that way.

Brooke couldn't give them any details about what had actually happened to her, her mind just a fog. She remembered Erza and Jellal, but that was about it. Porlyusica said it was just stress and that those memories would return in time. The healing mage took samples of Brooke's blood and hair before returning to her home, determined to figure out why she seemed to give off so much magical pressure. After all that, everything returned to normal. People came to visit Brooke when she was awake, introducing themselves as she had been one when she got kidnapped.

Today was the day Roxy, Jace, Kay and Clint got to meet Brooke for the very first time, only have ever heard about her before. "She looks that way because she was hurt very badly," Lucy told her daughter, causing Roxy to frown up at her mother.

"Will she be okay?" She asked, and Lucy nodded.

"Yes, she just needs time. Like when your father eats too much and needs to lie down." Roxy nodded, understanding the comparison.

"The scars will make her look cool at least," Clint said, causing Kay to elbow him in the ribs. He was Gajeel's and Levy's second child, having been born the same year as the twins. He looked a lot like his father, with black hair and red eyes. He was being looked after by Gray and Juvia today as his parents were out looking for his older sister, Reed, who'd run away. Again.

"I think they make her look more scary than cool," Jace said, a strange tone in his voice. He was staring at Brooke, trembling slightly, as the girl slept.

"She be pretty!" Kay added with a smile. "Like mummy!" Both Erza and Juvia smiled at the little girl. 

"She'll definitely be as strong as her mother," Laxus said, entering the room with Mira following behind. They'd recently gotten engaged, so Mira was just a bubble of happiness at the moment. "With the amount of magic power she gives off, she'll probably surpass Gildart at some point." Erza sweatdropped. That'll be the day. Laxus kicked Jellal in the leg, waking the blue-haired mage up. 

"I'm awake..." Jellal muttered, coming back to his senses. He looked around, noticing everyone in the room and smiled. "What's with the viewing party?"

"We thought it would be a good time for the kids to meet Brooke while she slept." Lucy offered, walking over and placing Roxy on Brooke's bed and taking a seat next to Erza. "Since, Brooke still a bit out of it." That was true. Brooke had been in and out of it the past few days, not quite there while conscious.

"It won't remain that way forever." Porlyusica voice sounded, and everyone turned to look at her as she entered the room. "But the next few months are not going to be easy for her or yourselves."

"What do you mean?" Jellal asked, sitting up straighter.

"Her body is going through some kind of metamorphosis, though it's internal. Her body is changing to become a vessel of unlimited magical power." Porlyusica said, shocking everyone. It would explain the massive amount of magic pressure she was giving off.

"So, she becoming like the first master?" Gray asked, hands-on Kay's shoulders as the little girl watched Jace and Clint grumble at each other, the children not understanding anything the grown-ups were saying, therefore finding the conversation boring.

"Not quite. It was Mavis' magic power that was the source of Fairy Heart. For Brooke, it's different. Her body is changing to hold an unlimited amount of magic power without the physical side effects other mages would suffer from taking into much. Her magical 'container' is changing to have an infinite amount of storage. Basically, unlike other mages, Brooke will continuously draw in magic power as her 'container' will never be full." Erza looked down at her daughter as Porylusica's knowledge entered her eyes.

"How is that even possible?" Lucy asked. "I mean, it took years for the first master to become the Fairy Heart. How could a child become an infinite source of magic power? She is so young!"

"I'm not sure. I'd say someone has been performing experiments on her for the past four years and the last one had been successful." Porlyusica offered, causing everyone to look at Brooke. Human Experimentation. Exactly what had Brooke gone through and who had done it? And why? "There is something else." Everyone looked back at Porlyusica. "Since this won't be natural for her body, the changing won't be pleasant. She'll likely be very sick over the next few months, perhaps even the rest of her life. And, since she's a child with no experience with magic, she won't have any control over her power so you'll need to be cautious around her."

Just as Porlyusia finished that sentence, the sleeping Brooke began sniffling. Then she was sneezing. An explosion followed her sneeze, causing the bed, curtains and room around her to become damaged as well as the occupants in the room. Erza blinked, feeling soot on her face. Looks like her family had a tough road ahead of them...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Roxy = 3  
> Jace = 4  
> Kay = 4  
> Clint =4  
> Brooke = 5  
> 


	6. Celestial Visit

**X805**

"Fire Dragon: Iron Fist!" Roxy shouted, throwing her hand towards the wooden board Natsu was holding up, her small fist catching fire. She punched the wood, splitting it in half. She blinked then grinned. "I did it!" She shouted, jumping up and down, Natsu joining in on her excitement.

"Yeah, ya did! Whoo Hoo!" The pair danced around each other as Lucy watched, shaking her head. She didn't think it was possible for Natsu to teach Roxy Dragon Slayer magic since he was human, not a dragon but he'd managed to do it. Guess that would make Roxy a sixth-generation dragon slayer. Getting her magic taught to her by another dragon slayer? Lucy wasn't sure and didn't linger on it. She watched as Natsu gave her a high five, wide grins on both their faces. Lucy shook her head. Roxy was so much like her father. 

The two went back to training, working on strengthing her Iron Fist attack and making it more fluent and Lucy looked up at the sky. It was blue and full of fluffy clouds, the wind blowing her long hair. Jace was also doing a magic training session today, she wondered how that was going?

* * *

"It's freezing!" Jace shouted, his teeth chatting as he hugged his arms around his bare chest, only in his underwear. Gray laughed at his son display, remembering a time when he was the exact same. They were currently at Mt Hakobe, on one of the days when there wasn't a horrible blizzard. It was the best place to learn Ice-Make magic, which Jace chose to learn while Kay followed in her mother's footsteps.

"No, it's not." Came Lyon's voice. It was one of those rare occasions when he was in town. They decided to teach their sons Ice-Make magic together so Hank, Lyon's son, was also with them and was looking just as cold as Jace, though he was smiling while Jace was glaring at Gray, probably hoping he'd caught fire.

"Yeah! It's not cold." Hank agreed, and Jace threw a glare his way.

"Don't lie!" Hank just chuckled. He looked a lot like his father, with his silver hair and dark eyes. 

"Don't be like that, Jacey. We pull this off, we can be the Chill Bros!" Hanks said, causing Jace's glare to increase.

"Don't call me Jacey and that's a stupid name! We are so not being that!" Gray laughed. Jace was going to make this hard every step of the way, he could just sense it.

* * *

Turning back to the training in front of her, Lucy watched as Natsu showed Roxy how to punch correctly. Roxy was now five and becoming more of a trouble maker every day. She was curious and tended to break a lot of things. But more then anything else, she was hyper and excited about everything. Lucy found it utterly adorable, while also exhausting. Keeping the little dragon slayer engaged all the time was difficult and Roxy had to be exhausted by the end of the day, or she wouldn't go to sleep.

"Mummy! Mummy! I wanna see your magic now !" Roxy yelled, coming to stand next to her knees, shaking them back and forth in excitement. "Show me!" Lucy laughed and patted her daughter's pink hair.

"What's the magic word?"

"Please!!!" Roxy asked, holding her hands together and giving Lucy her puppy-dog eyes. Lucy smiled and stood up.

"Alright."

"Yay!" Roxy celebrated before wandering back over to Natsu, who was watching them fondly. Lucy thought over which celestial spirit she should summon. It had been a long while since she, as well as the rest of the guild, had seen Loke. Smiling, Lucy grabbed his key.

"Open, Gate of the Lion, Loke!" Lucy yelled, opening up Loke's gate. She blinked as the lion spirit materialise. He looked the same as always, in a lovely black suit with a red tie and black shades. Not, it was the thing attached to his head that made her blink. It was a little boy, with blonde-bronze hair and hazel eyes, currently pulling at Loke's hair with vigour. He looked about six years old.

"Ow! Lucas! Stop that!"

"Not until you apologise to Aries!"

"Okay! Okay! I'll apologise, now will you stop pulling!?" 

The little boy grinned in victory, letting go of Loke's hair and finally taking in his surroundings. He blinked as his eyes landed on Lucy. Then he smiled. "Lucy!" He shouted, jumping off Loke and rushing over to the celestial wizard. Lucy smiled at the little boy as he hugged her legs.

"Hello, Lucas. I didn't realise you were coming along with Loke." She said, ruffling the boy's hair as he grinned up at her.

"He wasn't meant too," Loke grumbled, crossing his arms. Lucas turned and stuck his tongue out at the spirit, before making his way over to Natsu and Roxy, greeting them both with just as much excitement. Lucy shook her head and wandered over to Loke.

"He seems to be doing well." She commented, and Loke smiled at her.

"Yeah, he's doing much better now that's properly adjusted to living in the celestial world," Lucy smirked at the lion spirit.

"Just don't hog him too much. Remember, he has to spend time in the human world as well." Lucy teased, and Loke smiled at her.

"He spent the first five years of his life living in this place; besides, I'd like to see you try and take him from me." Loke challenged, and Lucy grinned at him. 

"We'll just see which one he wants to spend more time with." Loke deflated, knowing he'd lose that argument.

"Please don't. I like my ego intact." Lucy laughed as she turned to watch Natsu tell Lucas and Roxy a story of him fighting against a giant monster, Lucas and Roxy engaged whole-heartedly in the story. It made Lucy think back to when she'd first met the courageous young boy. Made her think back to that job that had changed her understanding of celestial law and the taboos that come with it. Made her think back to the day they'd discover a human celestial spirit hybrid existed in this world and how he was connected to her without even knowing it...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Roxy = 5  
> Jace = 6  
> Lucas = 6  
> Hank = 6


	7. Scent Reveals All

**X804**

"Lucy!" Mira called, waving Lucy over as the celestial mage entered the guildhall. Lucy waved before bending down to be on eye level with Roxy, who immediately redirected her attention to her mother.

"Mummy's going to go talk to Mira so why don't you go hang out with Jace?" She told the four-year-old, who nodded vigorously.

"Okay!" Then she was gone, running off towards one-half of the twins, jumping into Jace's back and startling him. He yelled his annoyance at her, cheeks flushed bright red, but Roxy just laughed. Lucy noticed the young boy didn't try to shrug Roxy off. Hiding her smile behind her hand, she made her way over to the bar, where Mira was currently working, cleaning and serving as always.

"I'm so glad you came in today!" Mira said, as Lucy took a seat, and putting the glass she was cleaning, bending down to find something.

"Oh yeah?" Lucy questioned

"Yep!" Mira said, popping her head up, a job in her hand. "A job came in that's absolutely perfect for you!" Lucy took the job, giving it a once over. It was requesting help from a celestial wizard to help with strange magical problems they'd been having for a few weeks. Apparently, random celestial spirits kept appearing before disappearing a few seconds later, their keys or wizards nowhere in sight. Lucy had never heard of it occurring before. A celestial spirit could only come through a gate opened by their wizard. Only the really powerful ones could come through of their own violation, Loke being an example as he was the leader of the Zodiac.

"How strange." 

"It pays a lot too, and I know you and Natsu are tight on money after your last job." Lucy sweatdropped as she thought back on it. It turned out that putting Roxy, Natsu, and a Monster in the same town ended with vast amounts of property damage and no reward. At least Roxy had enjoyed herself. Mira was right though, the reward being a whopping 1 million jew. That could feed them for the next few months at least!

"I'll talk to Natsu about it, but I think we'll take it," Lucy said, and Mira nodded. 

"Great! Then I'll put you down!" An explosion sounded and Lucy turned and watched as smoke and dust slowly faded and reveal one of the tables smashed to pieces, Jellal sitting on the ground, looking very battered as he held his hand over Brooke's mouth, who was blinking in surprised. Lucy sweatdropped. While the six-year-old's body had pretty much adapted to her immense amount of magic power, she still suffered from severe magical fluxes, despite the training she was undertaking from both her parents. Jellal removed his hand, giving Brooke a smile as she apologised profusely to her father. They'd really become tight-knit since her return. Erza and Jellal had never been happier.

* * *

"The magic energy in this place sure is weird," Loke commented, a confused look on his face as he gave a look around. Lucy had called him forward to offer his opinion since he was a celestial spirit. "It feels ancient but familiar at the same time."

"Apparently, celestial spirits kept showing up here, despite their keys or wizard not being anywhere in sight," Lucy told Loke who nodded.

"I assume there the silver key spirits since that hasn't happened to any of the Zodiac spirits." The 'yet' went unannounced. Loke continued to investigate and mauled over his thoughts as Lucy surveyed the town. It was small and out of the way, called Impala. It was known for the Impala Lily flowers that grew there, famous for their vibrant red to white colouring and star shape petals. Lucy suddenly found the location fitting for a job surrounding celestial magic. Her eyes caught sight of Natsu, Roxy and Happy, who were currently on the hunt for an awesome restaurant, Roxy tuck tightly in Natsu's arms. 

She shook her head before turning back to Loke. "Think of anything?" She asked, but Loke just shook his head.

"Sorry but not even Crux has heard about this ever happening before, and it's not like we can ask the King. He's kinda hard to get into contact with." Lucy nodded. Disappointing but not surprising. If the job had a simple answer, the townsfolk wouldn't be asking for help. If only she could see how the spirits appeared, then she'd have a better idea of what's really going one. But not one had shown up since their arrive earlier that day.

"Hey, Happy? Do you smell that?" Natsu suddenly asked, gaining Lucy's attention. He was probably talking about food but with Natsu, you could never be too sure. The flying blue cat looked down at Natsu with confusion.

"You mean other than Lucy's foul stench?" He joked, and Lucy had half a mind to go over and beat the stupid cat over the head. But Natsu didn't rise to Happy's joke, taking another whiff of the air.

"It smells like..." He trailed over, shock overcoming his features. Lucy wandered over, Loke in toe.

"Like what, Natsu?" She asked, and Natsu looked at her.

"Like you!" He said, sounding shocked. Lucy was shocked too. Typically, whenever Natsu picked up two of Lucy's scent, it meant another version of her was around. But Edolas didn't contain any magic, and the Ecplise had been destroyed so it couldn't be an alternate or future version of herself. "But I'm also picking up Loke's scent as well!" That made Lucy even more confused.

"You sure you're not just picking up Lucy and Loke?" Happy asked, sounding sceptical.

"Of course not!" Natsu yelled before taking a few sniffs of the air before he'd locked on the scent. "Their this way!" He yelled, sprinting off in the direction of a small cafe. Lucy gave chase, trusting the wicked nose of her husband. It had yet to fall them. Natsu skidded to a halt, Roxy still secured in his arms. Lucy stopped next to him and peeked in through the window. "Right there." Natsu pointed, and Lucy followed his gaze. 

A little boy, probably about five, was sitting at a table, stuffing his face full of food. His hair was blonde-bronze and eyes hazel. But what surprised Lucy the most was his outfit. He was wearing celestial clothing! A glint caught her eye, and she focused in on it, her eyes widening further. A small, diamond key was resting on the bench with the little boy. But how? And why would a little boy posses such a strange key? Lucy was so confused...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Roxy = 4  
> Jace = 5  
> Brooke = 6


	8. A Taboo

**X804**

"Strange," Loke commented from his place behind Lucy. "That child is giving off weird vibes." Lucy frowned at the lion spirit.

"What do you mean?" Loke's eyes hardened.

"I mean, he's not completely human. His emitting normal magic waves as well as celestial which shouldn't be possible." Loke said, making Lucy turn back to the happily feasting child, her eyes going to that key. It was so strange.

"But didn't you use normal magic as well, Loke? Back when we didn't know you were a celestial spirit?" Lucy asked.

"Not quite. I used Magical Items, specifically rings, to use normal magic. But this kid, he somehow has celestial magic as well as normal magic flowing through his veins, which is impossible!" Lucy frowned at the man. He was clearly very freaked out by what was going on.

"Natsu? How do you think we should-" Lucy began to ask before being cut off then she realised Natsu, as well as Happy and Roxy, were no longer crouching next to her. No, they'd gone inside the cafe and were now approaching the feasting boy. Lucy wanted to hit herself. Why was he always acting like an idiot? And with their daughter this time? He was so getting an earful when they returned home. Lucy quickly followed Natsu inside, knowing Loke was right behind her.

Natsu reached the little boy, and he looked up at him, eyes wide as he finished taking a bite of the bread he was eating. "Hi!" Natsu grinned, and the boy smiled back through half-chewed food. How charming. Roxy pulled a face, and the boy must have noticed because his smile fell and swallowed everything in his mouth before rubbing his throat.

"Hello." He uttered sheepishly. Natsu just continued to smile at him. 

"What's your name, buddy?" He asked, and the boy looked around, now looking incredibly uncomfortable as well as suspicious at the attention he was receiving. Like this was a regular occurrence.

"Lucas." He said, smiling nervously at Natsu. Lucy came to stand next to Natsu, smiling down at Lucas, who began to fidget at her appearance.

"Where are your parents?" She asked, and Lucas gave a look around the room, searching for something. Probably an escape.

"Around." He answered casually, but Lucy knew he was lying. He wouldn't be so eager to escape if they were. 

"Mind if we sit with you until they come?" Lucy asked, and the boy looked at her with suspicion but nodded his consent. Natsu immediately sat down, keeping Roxy secure in his arms and Lucy took a place next to him. Loke remained standing, peering down at Lucas, who just ignored him. Roxy looked at Lucas curiously.

"I'm Roxy!" She yelled, holding out her hand. Lucas looked at it for a few seconds before taking it, that nervous smile still present. "This is my mummy and daddy! Their wizards!" A look of panic overcame Lucas' features, but it was gone a few seconds later. Still, the sight brought Lucy pain. He'd had run-ins with wizards, most likely dark wizards, in the past.

"Really? From what guide?" He asked, and Natsu grinned at him. 

"Fairy Tail!" Natsu said.

"The greatest guild in the world!" Happy added and a look of surprised overcame Lucas' face, and Lucy noticed him relax slightly. But only slightly. 

"That's a legit guild, right?" He asked, and Natsu nodded.

"Of course!" He and Happy said at the same time.

"Enough with the foreplay!" Loke suddenly shouted, causing everyone except Lucas to jump. He didn't even turn to look at Loke. "Who are you? Why do you contain two types of magic, and why do you smell like me?" Loke shouted, slamming his fist down on the table, causing that strange diamond key to rattle slightly. Lucas didn't react.

"Loke!" Lucy shouted at the lion spirit, but he ignored her. She took in his expression and noticed he looked incredibly distressed. "I'm so sorry, Lucas!" She apologises on behalf of Loke. Lucas just smiled at her.

"It's cool. I'm used to it." The young boy then turned to look at Loke, finally acknowledging his existence. "And which one are you?" He asked, causing Loke to blinked.

"Huh?"

"Which celestial spirit are you?" Lucas asked again like he was asking about the weather. Loke just stood there in shock before finally musting up the courage to answer.

"Leo the Lion." He answered, and Lucas' eyes widened.

"Really? I've never caused a member of the Zodiac to appear before." He said before looking down at his hands. "Weird." 

"So, you know you cause celestial spirits to appear?" Lucy asked, and Lucas looked up at her, nodding.

"Of course. It's happened all my life." Lucas looked down at his hands. "At first, it was only for a few seconds before they'd disappear, and it was never the same spirit. But now, they sometimes stick around, and some appear more than others. Most of them being spirits without wizards. But, I've never summoned a golden key spirit before." He said, looking up at Loke. "You look like me." He noted, causing Loke to blinked in surprised. Lucy had noticed that too.

"Do you know how you're doing it?" Happy asked and Lucas turned to the blue cat, nodding. 

"It's because I'm a taboo." He said, causing Lucy to freeze. A Taboo. Every type of magic had them. Rules that shouldn't be broken. Capricorn at been a victim of a taboo when his previous wizard had broken one. But that had resulted in possession. How could a child be a taboo? 

"How?" Loke asked, and Lucas sighed.

"Because I'm the result of splicing a wizard and their celestial spirit's DNA together. I'm unnatural. Not human, not celestial spirit. I'm in between making me a taboo." Lucas explained, and Lucy felt her brain freeze. How was that even possible? Celestial spirits didn't bleed when they got hit, they just evaporated and went back to the celestial world. How could someone not only get a celestial spirit's DNA but combined them with a human's to create a living child? How could it happen and the celestial world not find out?

"Do you know whose DNA was used?" Lucy asked, afraid of the answer. Lucas nodded.

"The Zodiac Leader, Leo the Lion, and his wizard, Lucy Heartfilla."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Roxy = 4  
> Lucas = 5


	9. Acceptance

**X804**

"M-Me?" Lucy questioned, and Lucas blinked as if he hadn't known she was Lucy Heartfilla. He probably hadn't. Then, he nodded slowly. She had another child in this world and with Loke of all people. No, wait. That wasn't true. They hadn't really had him. He'd been the result of their DNA merging. But, that still technically made him their son. Lucas was her child. He'd existed in this world for the past five years, and she'd had no idea. He'd been around longer then Roxy. 

"But how?" Loke asked, and Lucas shrugged.

"I don't know how the magic behind it works." He said, looking down at his half-eaten plate, which had long since been forgotten. "I just know that I was the only one to survive the birthing process." Lucy gasped.

"You mean...there'd been more?" She asked, feeling her throat close up. A hand grabbed her knee, and she looked across at Natsu, who was listening to the conversation very intently, his grip on Roxy tight and secure. Lucas nodded, not noticing her struggle.

"I don't know how much, she'd never told me. I just know they didn't make it." She. A woman had done this. Had used her and Loke's DNA to create not only Lucas but other children-no, babies! Lucas looked five after all. He'd had to been born a baby.

"But...how could she have my DNA?" Loke uttered, sounding broken, and Lucas turned to look at him, his expression soft and sad like he was sorry for existing and causing Loke this pain and confusion. It made Lucy want to cry.

"From your time trapped in the human world. When you could be injured, and you would bleed." That was right. Loke had been locked out of the celestial world so when he'd been hurt, he'd bleed like any other human. And there had been plenty of opportunities over the years for someone to collect Lucy's DNA. She'd bled a lot as well. Lucas looked down at his hands. "I'm sorry." He uttered, tears starting to swell in his eyes. "I'm something that shouldn't exist. Something you never wanted. A Taboo. I'm so sorry for causing you this pain..." Lucy felt her tears begin to fall at the child as Lucas continued, speaking words of self-hate and disgust. She moved to comfort him, but someone else beat her.

It was Roxy. She was standing on the table, lying on top of Lucas' head, squeezing the back of his head with all her might. Lucy stared at her daughter in utter shock. "Don't say things like that," Roxy muttered into Lucas' hair, eyes closed tightly as she continued to hug his head. "Everyone matters. Everyone!" She said, hugging Lucas tighter. Said boy was staring at his hands in shock, eyes wet and blinking. Like he'd never been comforted before. He'd probably never experience a lot of things. Soon, Lucas closed his eyes and let his tears flow, not moving. Just enjoying Roxy's comfort. Lucy smiled at her daughter through her tears, pride replacing her sorrow.

**~~~~~~~~~~**

A little while later, after the reality of everything had settled in, Lucy stood on a hill overlooking Impala, watching as the townsfolk went about their day, remaining oblivious to the shocking events of earlier. Lucas lay down on the ground next to her, napping away. She couldn't blame him. He'd just poured out his heart to them in the span on a few minutes. The child was probably exhausted, he was only five. Lucy turned and looked down at the young boy. He was snoring away, hands up by his head, looking very much like Natsu in that moment. Lucy closed her eyes and smiled. 

After Lucas had stopped crying, he'd told them all about the women who'd created him. She'd been middle age and regular, just another figure in the crowd. She wouldn't have stood out to either Lucy or Loke. She wasn't alive anymore, having paid the ultimate price for her taboo, which was how Lucas had ended up on the streets. He'd remained undetected because he was always on the move, not allowing time for anyone to notice how different he was. But, the boy had like Impala so he'd stayed a little longer than expected. Turned out the diamond key was his key since he was technically a celestial spirit.

Lucy shook her head. She couldn't believe that such a nice boy had been the result of something so violating. She'd been afraid Natsu wouldn't like him because Loke was his father, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Natsu had decided the boy was family and that he was to come back with them to the guild. It had shocked everyone, including Lucy, but really, she shouldn't have doubted him. Natsu loved and accepted everyone. Lucas hadn't said anything, other then nodded. The poor boy probably didn't know what to do in the face of such acceptance.

Loke had returned to the celestial world to talk to the king about Lucas since the likely hood of the giant celestial spirit appearing before them was almost zero. He'd been looking better when he'd left, no longer looking like someone had just taken a spear and stabbed him through the heart. Lucy hoped the celestial king was accepting. Lucas may be able to live in the human world, but he needed the guidance of the celestial spirits to control his magic. Plus, the boy was part celestial spirit, so he probably needed to spend some time in the celestial world as well.

Loke returned in a puff of smoke, a big smile on his face. "The king agrees with your assessment and intends to allow Lucas passage into the celestial world. He'll even get to live in the Timeless Garden, to ensure he grows up at the same rate as other humans." Lucy smiled brightly, relief flooding her system. She was so glad. Lucas needed acceptance. "Also, he offers his sympathies. The woman who'd done this had used ancient cloaking magic to hid her taboo from him, so he hadn't been able to detect it. If he had..." Loke trailed off. Lucy simply smiled at him.

"It doesn't matter now. He's with us now." She looked back down at the snoring Lucas. "He'll be so happy." She uttered before turning back to Loke. "Whose looking after him?" She asked, and Loke's face fell. That would mean he was. Lucy laughed. She hoped Lucas wasn't a lot of trouble...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Roxy = 4  
> Lucas = 5


	10. Flashback

**X798**

"How cute is Erza and Jellal's baby?" Miraa gushed, walking down the street of a small town whose name Laxus had already forgotten.

"Cute," Laxus said as he took in their surroundings, looking for the shadow creature the job flyer had described.

"And what a perfect name! She is going to grow up to be powerful and beautiful!" Mira continued to gush, not paying attention at all to her surroundings.

"Let's hope she's not as bossy." Laxus hummed, causing Mira to giggle. The white-haired mage continued to go on about children, turning to Gajeel and Levy, their daughter and their upcoming child since Levy was pregnant again. She talked about Gray and Juvia's upcoming wedding and Natsu and Lucy's recent one. Laxus just continued to hum, half-listening to his girlfriend and half paying attention to the world around him. He had a monster to find since Mira clearly wasn't doing it. 

"Excuse me!" A woman yelled, running up to Laxus and Mira, who stopped and turned. The woman had long black hair and purple eyes and was dressed in dirty, torn clothes. "Your the wizards, right? The ones hired to catch the creature?" She asked, and Mira smiled at the woman.

"That's right! Is there something you ne-" The woman cut Mira off.

"Please help him!" She yelled before turning her arms slightly. That was when Laxus realised she was holding something. A bundle of blankets. A baby's wailing could suddenly be heard. Laxus looked down at the baby in her arms. He looked to be around three months of age, with brown tufts of hair and blue eyes. His cheeks were flushed red. "He won't stop crying!"

"Is he yours?" Mira asked, running her hand down the crying baby's face. The woman shook her head.

"No, he was my mistress'." Was. Past tense. Meaning his mother, and possibly his father, had passed away or abandoned him. "Please! He was born with too much magic power, and the doctors in town can't do anything. But your wizards! Surely you can help!" The woman asked, holding out the child. Mira took the baby, cradling him in her arms and trying to soothe him.

"Does he have a name?" Laxus asked, but the woman was gone. He did a quick glance around but couldn't see her. Her scent had disappeared from the air, as well. Weird. He turned back to the child to see he was thrashing about in Mira's arms, clearly in a lot of distress. Mira continued to hush him, bouncing him up and down. "We should get him to Porlyusica. She'll know what to do."

* * *

"Theo is his name," Porlyusica said as she looked over the fidgeting and wailing baby on the table. He was doing his best to resist all manner of help. 

"How do you know?" Mira asked, worrying dominating her tone, and Porlyusica huff.

"Says so on this note." She said, holding out a note to the couple. Mira took it, giving it a once over, with Laxus reading it over her shoulder.

 _My dearest Memo_ ,

_We all know that I do not have long to live, even though you refuse to accept it—your much like my husband in that matter._   
_I have decided to leave my son, Theo, in your hands. I do not trust him in the hands of my husband with his condition. I know it'll bring Theo more harm than good._   
_Please! Do everything in your power to help him._

_Love Valery._

"His mother name is Valery," Mira said.

"You mean was," Laxus said, causing Mira to look at him. "The note said she was sick. Memo had said was when describing her as well, so she is most likely gone." Laxus said, causing Mira to frown at her. 

"None of that matters at the minute," Porlyusica said, stopping the retort and causing both S-class wizards to look at her. "Only this child matters and I think I can help him." She said, causing relief to flood both mages systems. "While he does have excess amounts of magic power, his main problem is excess fluid in his spine. I'll remove it, along with the excess magic power, which should make him stop crying." 

"Thank god." Mira sagged, holding a hand to her heart. Laxus smiled down at her

"After which, you must return him to his home town," Porlyusica said, causing Mira to freeze. "It's where he belongs." She said before turning around and wandering off to grab her equipment. Laxus glanced at Mira, who had a conflict look on her face. He knew she'd get attached to the child, despite him having just been a crying mess the entire trip here. The baby had just had something about him that also intrigued Laxus. But Porlyusica was right. Theo wasn't theirs, he belonged with Memo. 

* * *

Theo had recovered from his treatment just fine and was now a completely different baby. Babbling and giggling up at Mira instead of thrashing and crying. It was music to Laxus' ears. They'd returned to the small town in hopes of finding Memo. Mira was cooing down at Theo, watching as the boy had a babbling conversation with himself. Theo cooed back and made grabby hands at Mira. The sight tugged on Laxus heartstrings. "Don't get attached." He warmed Mira, but the white-haired mage simply ignored him.

Laxus rolled his eyes and went back to searching. After asking around, Laxus discovered Memo now worked at the local orphanage, since the passing of Valery and the disappearance of Valery's husband. They found the orphanage with little issue, though Mira did lead the way, and started asking for Memo. They found her in the yard, tending to a sobbing little girl.

"Excuse me? Memo?" Mira asked, and the woman turned, locking her eyes on them then Theo.

"Theo!" She yelled, racing forward. "I was wondering when I'd get to see you again!" Mira handed the child over without hesitation, though her expression was pained.

"The excess magic power he once held has been removed. He is now healthy and happy." Mira said, watching as Theo peered up at Memo with curious, big eyes. 

"Thank you so much!" Memo said, before going back to hugging Theo to her chest. Laxus peered down at Mira, who was watching the interaction with sad eyes.

"We should get going. There is still a monster to kill." He said, trying to sound as gentle as possible. Mira nodded, wiping her eye before turning on her heel and following Laxus out the door.

"Wait!" Memo's voice cried, and the two wizards turned. "I never got your names or guild." She said, sounding sheepish. Mira smiled brightly at the woman.

"I'm Mirajane, and this is Laxus. And we're with Fairy Tail!" Memo nodded, smiling at them.

"I'll be sure to tell him when he's older. Thank you so much." Mira nodded before taking one last look at Theo, who was peering at her with curious and confused eyes, then she left...


	11. A Visitor

** X807 **

"You ready?" Lucy asked Lucas, who was currently standing next to her, peering up at Fairy Tail's doors with wide and excited eyes. Today was the day the eight-year-old officially joined Fairy Tail and had the freedom to do what he'd like. It had been a long discussion between her and Loke, but they both felt the boy was ready. His magic had stabilised, and he was beginning to learn regular magic, specifically the Arc of Time, which the celestial king felt matched him perfectly, whatever that meant.

"Of course!" He yelled, and Lucy opened the doors, with Lucas dashing inside, looking around with wide eyes. Lucy followed behind him, shaking her head. 

"Is that him?" Erza asked, having been at the door. Lucy nodded. This was the first time a lot of her fellow guildmates would meet Lucas, making him somewhat of a celebrity within the guild. "He doesn't look like a celestial spirit."

"Neither does Loke or Virgo. Why should it matter?" Lucy questioned the red-head, feeling protective of Lucas. Erza just smiled at Lucy.

"It doesn't. I think it's better this way anyway. It'll help him fit in." She said, and Lucy nodded her head. That was true. Being human in appearance would certainly help Lucas when he was older and more independent. Lucas ran up to the table Jace and Kay were currently hanging out at.

"Hi!" He said, and Jace turned to look at him. 

"Hi?" He questioned, looking confused. Only the grown-ups knew Lucas was coming in today. The children didn't.

"Jace your clothes!" Kay scolded, and Jace looked down at himself. He was sitting in only his underwear. Anger crossed Jace's face, and he stood up, directing his finger towards his father, who was currently smiling at him from the bar.

"Damn it! Now I've picked up your weird habit!" Gray only laughed at his son before turning back to his food. That made Jace angrier.

"Jeez, talk about a pervert," Lucas muttered, causing Jace to swing around and face him, directing his anger towards someone else. He got up into Lucas' face.

"Who you calling a pervert, Newbie!?"

"You, You Grump!" The two diverged into a fight, trying to one-up the other. Kay watched and sighed but didn't attempt to interfere. Everyone else in the guild simply laughed at the display; it remained them so much of Natsu and Gray's first meeting. Suddenly, a pair of hands pushed Lucas and Jace apart, bending their necks with a crack. It was Brooke. She still had an eye patch over her left eye but the wounds had scarred nicely. She turned to Jace, who trembled under Brooke's gaze.

"Go find your clothes, Jace." She demanded, ignoring Lucas all together, which he didn't appreciate.

"Hey! Don't interrupt a fight!" He yelled at her, and Brooke turned to look at him. "You want some?!"

"Don't do it!" Jace warned, but it was too late. Brooke sent Lucas, as well as Jace, flying into the guildhall's wall in the blink of an eye, creating an impact.

"What a weirdo." She muttered as Lucas and Jace both groaned. Kay laughed at the display. 

"But why me as well?" Jace whined as Lucas sat up, clutching his head.

"Woah! Scary." He said as Brooke looked over the two, causing them both to stiffen. 

"Don't pick meaningless fights." She scolded, and they both saluted her.

"Yes, ma'am!" That caused Brooke to smile at them, causing them both to look down and blush. Roxy ran over and crouched in front of Lucas, grinning widely.

"Haha! You made Brooke mad." She said, rubbing it in. Lucas turned and frowned at her.

"Why didn't you tell me about her, or he perv for that matter?" He whispered, but Roxy continued to grin.

"And ruin the surprise? Never!" She yelled, and Lucas sagged his shoulders, feeling deflated. Roxy then looked at Jace, a dusting of red on her cheeks, joining her smile. "You still in your underwear, Jace." She said, causing Jace to stand up in a panic.

"Aww, man!" He yelled, and Roxy giggled before turning to the rest of the guild. 

"Everyone! This is my half-brother Lucas. He is now a member of our guild!" Everyone cheered, raising their mugs of beer. They all begun to greet Lucas with pride and happiness, and Lucas grinned up at them. Lucy watched the whole interaction, happiness flooding her veins. 

"He'll fit right in," Natsu said from his place next to her, placing a kiss on her cheek. Lucy smiled at him.

"Yes, he will." It would seem she'd been worried for nothing. Lucas was like a mini Natsu, charismatic and loud, always looking for a fight or challenge. They may not have been related, but Lucas was just as much Natsu's son as Roxy was his daughter. Loke will be pleased. All the children began talking, introducing themselves.

"So your twin is a girl? That would explain your girly looks." Lucas said, causing Jace to attack him again. Brooke sighed and karate chopped both of them on top of their heads, not even bothering to pull them apart. 

"What did I say!?" She yelled and both quickly uttered apologises, begging for forgiveness.

"She does take after you, Erza," Lucy commented, looking over at the proud red-head.

"Yep. She can also use Erza's, as well as mine magic without too much issue." Jellal said, smiling over at his daughter. "Though, she does have trouble with power, never knowing how much to release. She keeps creating craters."

"Perhaps she needs an outlet for all that magic power?" Natsu joked, and Jellal laughed before a thoughtful look passed over his face.

"That's not actually a bad idea." He mumbled, and Lucy shook her head. Leave it to Jellal to turn a joke into something useful. The man began murmuring about magic outlets, and everyone was only half listening. That is until a small figure appeared in the doorway, a cloak wrapped around their body, their shadow long with the sun setting behind them. Everyone paused their conversation to have a look at the visitor. Lucy turned to see as well, blinking at the visitor. It was a young boy around the age of nine, with brown hair and blue eyes. But what made him stand out was the bandage around his forehead and the bandaids on his face. He looked like he'd been in a fight...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Roxy = 7  
> Jace = 8  
> Lucas = 8  
> Kay = 8  
> Brooke = 9  
> 


	12. Newest Member

**X807**

Everyone blinked at the boy in the doorway for a few seconds before going back to what they were doing, losing interest when he didn't do anything. Mira shook her head and sat down the glass she was cleaning before making her way over to the door. He was probably here seeking a wizard's help judging by his bandages—a problem his family couldn't handle by themselves.

"Hello there! Can I help you?" Mira greeted cheerfully, getting the boy to focus his eyes on her instead of the ceiling. He offered her a small smile.

"This is the Fairy Tail Guild, right?" He asked, and Mira nodded. 

"That's right. Is there something you need?" She asked, and the boy reached into his back pocket, pulling out a crumpled and slightly torn note. He looked up at her with cautious eyes.

"I'm looking for the wizards Laxus and Mirajane. I...have a note for them." He said, and Mira blinked. This child was looking for her and Laxus? "I was told they were apart of this guild?" He continued, a cautious tone entering his voice when Mira didn't respond. Mira blinked once again before smiling at the child.

"Of course! I'm Mira." She said, and the boy titled his head to the side before giving her a small smile and holding out the note.

"Then this is for you." He said, and Mira took it. She smoothed out some of the creases, so the words were easier to read.

_Dear Mirajane and Laxus,_

_This is Memo writing. Long ago, you helped out the boy I was instructed to care for, and I was hoping you would be able to do it again._   
_If you're receiving this note, it means I have passed on and an unable to provide Theo with the care he needs anymore. I trust no one else other than you two to help him._   
_You were able to do it once, I hope you will be able to do it again. He needs you more than me._

_Love Memo._

Mira felt shock coarse through her veins. The child standing before was Theo, the infant she'd fallen in love with all those years ago. She looked at the boy, who was peering curiously at her, probably wondering what the note said. She took in his brown hair and blue eyes, finally noticing the resemblance. It was him! Her mind drifted to the meaning behind the note. Memo had passed on, now joining his mother, and possibly his father, in the afterlife. Leaving Theo with no one. She took in his damaged state. Had he been there when it happened? How did it happen?

"What does it say?" He asked, finally becoming uncomfortable with Mira's staring. The white-haired mage blinked before smiling gently down at the boy.

"It says Memo has passed on. Is it true?" She asked, and sorrow filled Theo's eyes. He smiled sadly and nodded.

"She was all I had left." He uttered, gaze directed towards the ground and Mira felt all the affection she'd held for the boy when he was a baby come flooding back, and she moved forward, enveloping the boy in a hug. He stiffened.

"Not anymore. Memo entrusted me with a promise, and I intend to keep it." She muttered into his shoulder, and she felt Theo visibly relax, understanding the meaning before her words. Fairy Tail would be his family now. Mira felt a spark of electricity in the air and frowned. Then she was being shocked. Pain erupted through her body as Theo retched himself out of her arms, causing the shocking to stop.

"I'm so sorry!" He said, and Mira blinked, feeling the leftover static twitching in the air around her. The pain faded, and she smiled down at the boy.

"It's fine." So this is what Memo meant. He was exhibiting magic power in the form of electricity. Laxus will be pleased. Theo bowed.

"I really am sorry." He said, and Mira waved her hand.

"Don't fret over it. Now, how about we get you settled?" She asked, and Theo blinked at her before smiling softly and nodding. He followed her up to the bar, ignoring the looks everyone was giving him. Expect for the children, who were currently engaged in their own conversation, dead to the rest of the guild. They were becoming a tight-knit group.

"Where's Laxus'?" Theo questioned as Mira grabbed the guild mark stamping tool.

"He's away at a conference. Master duties." She said, and Theo blinked then nodded. He told Mira his preferred colour, grey, before taking off his cloak and rolling up his sleeve on his right arm. Mira placed the stamp over it and pressed down, the fairy tail guild mark becoming etched into his right shoulder. "There. Now your officially a member!" Theo blinked then smiled, rolling his sleeve back down.

"Thank you." He said, and Mira nodded, giving his hair a ruffle. 

"Lucas! Your turn!" She called, figuring it would be a good time to do him as well. Lucas broke his glaring match with Jace and grinned over at Mira.

"Coming!" He yelled, racing over, Jace, Roxy and Brooke in toe. He ran up at stood next to Theo. "Hiya!" He greeted, and Theo smiled at him.

"Hiya." Then Lucas turned to Mira.

"On my left hand, please! Colour: Yellow." Mira nodded and changed the settings on the stamp. She watched as Theo backed up to give Lucas space and accidentally knocked into Brooke. Static filled the air, then she was being shocked. She yelled in pain, and Theo turned, unaffected by his electricity, breaking the connection.

"I'm so sor-" He was cut off when Brooke's fist collided with his jaw, sending him flying across the room and into an empty table smashing it to pieces. Jace and Roxy both sweatdropped, fear overcoming their features.

"If you can't control it, don't stand so close!" Brooke scolded, cheeks lightly dusted red. Theo groaned from his place at the smashed table.

"S-Sorr-ry." He uttered in pain, and Brooke huffed, arms crossed. Mira sweatdropped. It would appear Jace and Lucas had been graining on her nerves. Theo sat up with a groan, rubbing his head, eyes landing on Brooke. He grinned sheepishly at her, cheeks dusted red, and Brooke smiled softly back, cheeks just as red. No bad blood then. Mira shook her head. Theo would be fine, she and Laxus would make sure of it...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Roxy = 7  
> Jace = 8  
> Lucas = 8  
> Brooke = 9  
> Theo = 9


	13. Sabertooth

**X807 - Elsewhere**

"Sting, have you seen-" Yukino stopped her question when her eyes landed on the master of the Sabertooth guild, aka her husband. He was sitting on the floor, cards spread out all around him, eyes locked in a staring match with the little nine-year-old girl sitting across from him—his daughter, Jasmine, who was spinning image of her father with blonde hair and blue eyes.

"This is it." Sting said, using his 'master tone' as he'd come to call it. "Winner takes all." He said then he was placing his card, eyes never leaving his daughter's. Yukino shook her head at his childish behaviour. Jasmine looked down briefly before a massive grin spread across her lips.

"Ha! I win!" She said, throwing her card on top of Sting's, whose mouth dropped open dramatically, real surprise written over his features.

"Again!?" He yelled, sounding generally shocked. Not surprising, Jasmine could beat Sting at most games.

"Honey?" Yukino questioned causing Sting and Jasmine to directed their attention onto her.

"Oh, hey, honey." Sting said,

"Hi, mummy!" Jasmine greeted, and Yukino smiled at both of them.

"Have you seen Rogue? He's supposed to help me, and Minerva set up the 'Tiger Tiger Tiger' eating contest." Sting shook his head.

"I haven't seen him." 

"He took Coco out for some training," Jasmine said, starting to help clean up the cards. "Apparently, she needs more practice," Jasmine said, and Yukino nodded. Rogue's daughter, Coco, wasn't a natural at Magic like Jasmine was. Her talents laid elsewhere. Jasmine could beat Sting at any game, but Coco could outperform them all. The girl was a tiny genius. 

"Then perhaps you could help me instead?" Yukino asked, and Jasmine nodded her head, packing the cards away.

"Okay!" She said, standing up and making her way over where they stored the games. String smiled after her before turning to Yukino, his smile turning into a sad pout.

"What about me?" He asked, and Yukino smiled gently at him.

"You've got Master duties to attend to." Sting groaned but stood up and gave Yukino a kiss on the cheek.

"Okay." He said before making his way over to the bar, probably going to speak with Rufus. Jasmine came back over, smiling up at her mother.

"I'm ready!"

"Then follow me."

Yukino led her daughter over to the table where the decorations were laid out. Minerva smiled at them in greeting before getting back to work. Jasmine quickly found something to do and got to work, humming a song under her breath. Yukino smiled, taking in her daughter. It was hard to believe they'd almost lost her. It had been a hard pregnancy, with all kinds of problems plaguing the nine-months. At first, they'd been afraid the fetus wouldn't survive; then they were worried Yukino wouldn't. Jasmine sucked up a lot of her magic power. They'd been so concerned they'd visited Porlyusica.

Yukino's main problem was she didn't possess enough magic power in her body to support Jasmine, who needed a lot. Like father, like daughter, Yukino figured. Jasmine had been born early, and it had been a long labour. Yukino had required months to recover. Coco had been born to Rogue and Kagura months earlier, the pregnancy being much easier. They two girls had quickly become friends, becoming joined at the hip. There were a few other children in the Sabertooth guild, but Jasmine and Coco stuck to themselves. Yukino figured it was bound to happen since their fathers were the 'Twin Dragons'.

The guild doors opened and in wandered Rogue, a little nine-year-old girl with short black hair and hazel eyes behind him. She looked somewhat dejected. "Coco!" Jasmine yelled, getting up and running over to the girl. Coco smiled at Jasmine, who enveloped her in a quick hug. "How'd it go? Did you learn it?" She asked, and Coco shook her head.

"No. It would appear I'm not destined to be a Dragon Slayer." Coco muttered disappointment laced her tone. 

"So, she's still not learning?" Sting question Rogue, who nodded.

"It's strange. She can do Kagura's magic just fine, and Jura's guidance has allowed her to take to Earth Magic like a fish to water. But, it would seem Shadow Dragon Slayer Magic is out of the question." Rogue said, turning and watching as Jasmine engaged Coco in a conversation, distracting the girl from her grief.

"Well, not everyone can be a Dragon Slayer. Gajeel has the same problem. Clint can learn his magic, but his daughter can't." Yukino said, and Rogue nodded.

"Perhaps you should focus more on improving the magic she does know. Jura sent a note and his ready to do another lesson if you're interested?" Sting said, and Rogue smiled at Sting.

"I think Coco would love that. Kagura is coming around tomorrow to pick her up and take her back to Mermaid Heel. Perhaps, they could stop by Lamia Scale along the way." 

"Is Jura even still apart of Lamia Scale?" Yukino asked, and Sting nodded.

"His currently there Magic Council business. It's why he offered." Yukino nodded her head, redirecting her gaze to the talking children. It was strange, having Coco be only a part-time member of Sabertooth but it couldn't be helped. With Kagura and Rogue divorced, Coco had to be split among them. But, sooner or later, the little girl would have to choose a permanent guild if she wanted any work. Yukino hoped she wasn't pressured too severely by her parents.

"Come on! Let's go help Minerva!" Jasmine yelled, grabbing Coco's hand and dragging her over to the decoration table. Yukino offered Rogue and Sting a smile before following the girls. They greeted Minerva before getting to work. 

"You know, it's been a while since I'd visited Natsu. Perhaps I should?" Sting mumbled, causing Yukino to stop in her tracks and spin on her feet.

"You can only go if you find someone to act as Master while you're gone!" Sting blinked before he sagged his shoulders. Rogue smirked at him.

"Good luck with that." He said, watching as Sting slowly made his way back to the bar. As far as everyone in Sabertooth was concerned, Sting was the only Master, and no one could replace him. If Sting wanted to visit Natsu, he'd have to bring the whole guild with him, and Yukino didn't see that happening. Besides, Jasmine has sworn never to go there again, and nothing was going to change her mind. Yukino still didn't know what had happened...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jasmine = 9  
> Coco = 9


	14. East Forest

**X808**

"I'm so bored!" A young voice yelled, disturbing the quiet of the East Forest, causing several birds to fly away. A hand flew over Lucas's mouth, muffling his following sentence.

"Be quiet!" Jace quietly hissed. Lucas frowned at him and crossed his arms but made no move to continue talking. Jace waited a few more seconds before removing his hand. Lucas sent Jace a fierce glare.

"Do that again, and you'll lose the hand." He growled, and Jace rolled his eyes.

"Just remember to pay the baby when they do it."

"What are you trying to say?"

"That you're weaker than a baby!"

"So, where exactly is this monster?" Clint's voice came, stopping the argument, and Jace turned to look at him. All three of them were currently crouching behind a bush, watching the trap they had sent.

"Don't know. That why we're out here 'looking' for it." Jace replied, and Clint rolled his eyes at the boy's snarky tone.

"Well, you're not doing a very good job." Clint hissed back, and Jace growled lowly.

"Neither are you," Lucas said, and all three of them diverged into a whispered argument. Theo watched from his place atop a rock and sighed. When were those three not arguing? Shaking his head, he turned back to watching the trap since those three clearly weren't. The air suddenly went still, and Theo slid down the rock, crouching behind it. Something was coming. He watched as a giant Gorian emerged from the tree line, examining the trap. Theo glanced at his teammates, who were still feuding. They were so going to lose this competition.

The Gorian noticed the rustling bush and grinned, making his way over. "Your magic is stupid!" Clint yelled.

"That's the best you've got?" Lucas asked.

"Like your insults are any better," Jace growled, and all three began brawling. Theo closed his eyes and shook his head. The Gorian came to stand over them, his shadow breaking them out of their brawl. All three looked up at the giant creature before them.

"Hey, look! The trap worked!" Lucas yelled, a massive grin entering his face, causing Jace to punch him.

"Idiot! He's not in the net. It failed!"

"Yeah, the bait worked!"

The Gorian grinned then raised his hand before bringing his fist down. Jace and Clint acted in time and rolled out of the way. "Ice-make Hammer!" Jace yelled, an ice hammer appearing above the Gorian's head. It slammed down, causing the Gorian to groan.

"Iron Dragon Club!" Clint yelled, sending his club towards the Gorian, hitting him square in the stomach and causing the creature to stumble back slightly.

"Arc of Time!" Lucas yelled, and suddenly a tree appeared below the Gorian's feet, rising quickly out of the ground. The speed at which it appeared caused the Gorian to go flying back, slamming itself into another tree. The Gorian laid down on the ground, unconscious. "That's right, monster! Don't mess with Fairy Tail!" Lucas yelled, pumping his fist in the air. Jace and Clint shook their heads but smiled at each other, proud they'd defeated the monster. As they went to celebrate, deep laughter sounded and an even bigger Gorian jumped out of the tree, laughing at them as he brought his knuckles down, intending to crush them.

Theo moved quickly, turning into a lightning bolt and zooming towards the Gorian. He punched the creature square in the face, sending him flying and causing a few trees to fall over in the process. He landed on the ground in front of the boys with grace, looking up to see the larger Gorian smoking and knocked out. "K.O!" Lucas shouted, and Theo stood up, turning to the boys and giving them a thumbs up. Lucas ran over and slapped him on the back. "And that makes two!"

A massive explosion came from the distance, and all four boys turned to watch as smoke rose. "What do you guys wanna bet that that was Roxy?" Jace asked.

"Only one way to find out."

* * *

"I'm going to destroy you!"

"I'd like to see you try!"

Two fists collided in the air and then Roxy and Olivia were brawling on the ground, trading punches and kicks and slaps. Kay stood off to the side, watching the feuding girls. They were so unlady-like. Roxy kicked Olivia towards a tree before turning to Brooke, who was simply staring at an old, dying tree. "So, what exactly are you trying to find?" She asked.

"Magic," Brooke responded as Olivia countered Roxy's attack, sending her flying. Olivia smirked, looking very much like her parents in that moment with her light brown hair, courtesy of her mother, and dark blue eyes, courtesy of her father. Evergreen and Elfman would be proud.

"I wi-" She tried to declare but got cut off.

"Fire Dragon Roar!" A wave of fire came flying towards Olivia, and she jumped up into the air, fairy-like wings spawning from her back, just dodging the attack. Instead, the fire headed directly for a pile of knockout Gorians, injuring them even more. "Damn it! Don't dodge!"

"I'm not just going to let you hit me!" The brawling matched continued on in the background, Brooke ignoring it, her focus entirely on the tree in front of her. There was just something off about it. She raised her hand and pressed it against the tree, feeling the magic energy flowing through it. It was different than the surrounding power. Brooke closed her eyes and tried to feel it, but the wood was dulling her senses, not allowing her to get an accurate read. Brooke opened her eyes then nodded. She then took a step back and requiped a sword into her hand.

"Brooke, what are yo-" Kay got cut off as Brooke slashed the tree in half, straight down the middle. It split open, the two pieces of the tree falling down to the ground. A blinding light happened then soon faded, so it was just an orb floating in the air. Brooke blinked and held out her hand, the orb falling into it. It gave off such a strange magical presence. "What's that?" Kay asked, and Brooke frowned.

"I'm not sure." She responded. The sound of something approaching made Brooke turn away from the orb and watched the treeline. Lucas emerged, a massive grin on his face.

"Guess what ladies? We beat-" He got cut off when he noticed a magic attack coming towards him. Yelling, Lucas ducked and allowed it to fly over his head, burning the trees behind him. Jace, Clint and Theo emerged from the forest and took in the scene before them. They should have expected this. 

"How many monsters did you beat?" Kay asked, and Lucas turned, smiling at her.

"Three! We got one on the way here." 

"Funny, we beat five," Brooke said, walking over to them, smiling. Lucas sagged in defeat, and Kay rolled her eyes.

"You mean you K.O three and left the other two to me and the quarrelling couple over there." Brooke turned and finally seemed to notice Roxy and Olivia, who had downgraded to merely beating each other up. Sighing, Brooke held out the orb to Theo. 

"Hold this." She said before making her way over to the brawling pair. Theo frowned down at the orb in his hand, feeling no magic what so ever emitting from it. Why would Brooke care for it? The sound of skulls smashing together and proceeding groans made Theo lookup to see Brooke was heading back over, shaking her head. "Unbelievable." She muttered under her breath before realising Theo was staring. She stopped and smiled at him. "What is it? Do you want to spar?" She asked, and Theo sweatdropped.

"Never again." He said, causing her to laugh. He then looked down at the orb in his hands. "What's this?"

"I'm not sure. I found it in that tree over there. It's emitting strange magical energy." Theo's eyes widened.

"Really? I can't sense anything from it." He said, examining the orb in his hand. Brooke frowned at him.

"Weird."

"Watch it, Freak!" Jace's voice sounded, and Brooke sighed then smiled at Theo. 

"Let's just get back to the guild, the competition is over." Theo smiled at her, then nodded. They both then peered down at the orb. It was so strange looking and what was it doing in a tree...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Roxy = 8  
> Oliva = 8  
> Jace = 9  
> Lucas = 9  
> Kay = 9  
> Clint = 9  
> Brooke = 10  
> Theo = 10


	15. The Orb

** X808 **

The doors to Fairy Tail were violently kicked open. "We're back!" Roxy yelled, dashing inside. "And we won!" 

"You did?" Lucy asked, watching as her daughter ran over, a massive grin on her face, looking very much like her father in that moment.

"Yep! We beat up five Gorians, and the guys got three!" Roxy sounded so proud of herself. She went on, telling her how they did it. Lucy smiled down at her daughter, masking her surprise. She knew that when Natsu was younger, he struggled to defeat even one and he'd been older then Roxy. To think that they'd been able to defeat eight with such ease, it kinda worried Lucy. How much more powerful will these children grow? "And Brooke found this weird orb," Roxy said, turning and pointing to Brooke, who was talking to Makarov.

"So, you've never seen it before?" Brooke asked the old man, who shook his head.

"I'm afraid not, child. You said you found it in an ancient tree?" He asked, and Brooke nodded.

"It's giving off a strange magical presence that only I seem to be able to detect. Can you sense it?" She asked, and Makarov shook his head.

"No, I can not." Brooke frowned and looked down at the orb in her hand. It was small, fitting in her hand perfectly, and coloured white with swirls of light blue and purple moving in it. "Though, it is clearly magical," Makarov continued, holding out his hand. Brooke handed it to the aging man and watched him examine it when a loud laugh caught her attention. She turned and watched as Mira finished greeting Theo with a smile and turned back to Cana.

"It truly is perfect. Thank you so much!" She said, holding up the tiny, white colour baby jumpsuit. Cana grinned and took another swing of her mug.

"It's about time you guys had one of your own! Everyone else has little rug rats running around!" Mira smiled brightly at Cana. That's right, Mira was officially pregnant. Theo's face fell slightly at Cana's words, the implication not going unnoticed by the boy. 

"I'll have Levy look into it," Makarov said, bringing Brooke's attention back to the old man. "She might be able to find something on it." He said, handing the orb back. Brooke took it, nodding her head.

"Thank you." She said, causing the orb to disappear in her hand. "Do you know when my parents will get back?" She asked, and Makarov shook his head as he picked up his mug of beer.

"I'm afraid not, child. They are on a significant job, but they will be back." A job she knew nothing about. Brooke nodded her head then turned and made her way over to where Jace and Lucas were fighting once again, set on breaking up the fight. She glanced over at Mira's table to see Theo had disappeared. Frowning, she reached Jace and Lucas and shoved them apart, cracking their necks.

"That's enough!" She yelled, causing both to turned and look at her with anger.

"Do you always have to interrupt?"

"Yeah! Leave us alone!" 

Brooke directed her glare on the two, causing terrified looks to pass over theirs faces, then they were flying across the guildhall, smoking trailing them. The two landed on the ground, thoroughly beaten. Brooke sighed and directed her gaze to the floor, glare fading, her mind on the strange orb. What was it? Why had it been in the East Forest, encased in a tree? Why could she only detect it's magic? The harder she thought, the more confused she got. 

"Where's Theo?" Mira's voice suddenly came, causing Brooke to look up. "He was just here."

"Maybe he went to look for Laxus?" Cana offered before turning back to her drink. Mira frowned but nodded.

"Most likely." She said, turning back to looking through her newly acquired baby clothes. Brooke frowned and looked up at the ceiling. She wondered...

* * *

"I knew I'd find you up here!" Brooke's voice sounded, causing Theo to jump. He turned and watched as Brooke made her way gracefully around the flag pole, smiling at him. She plonked herself down next to him, legs hanging off the edge. "Nice view." She said, and Theo turned. It was true. They could see all of Magnolia from up here, with Kardia Cathedral being the most obvious. Theo nodded, then directed his gaze at his feet, waiting for Brooke to speak.

But she didn't. She merely continued to admire the view, giving Theo the chance to gather his thoughts, to tell her what was bothering him in his own time. He'd never been more grateful for Brooke than in that moment. Even though it didn't seem like it most of the time, with the way she was repeatedly hitting everyone, even Theo got his fair share of punches, Brooke was the most adept at detecting their feelings and comforting them. They'd probably all be lost without her. Eventually, Theo took in a deep breath.

"Mira's pregnant." He said, and Brooke nodded.

"Yes, she is. What of it?" She asked, and Theo sighed.

"Mira's pregnant." He repeated and, as he'd hope, Brooke understood his meaning behind it. She smiled softly at him.

"You're not being replaced, Theo." She said, saying the words he'd been too afraid to tell himself. Theo kept his gaze on his lap, bringing his knee up to rest his chin on it.

"I know but...I can't help but feel like I am." He said, his grip on his knee tightening. "Stupid, isn't it? And selfish. Mira can have more children if she wants. It's not like she's my real mother." 

"Yes," Brooke said, causing Theo to look up at her in surprise. "But what's wrong with stupid feelings?" She asked, and Theo blinked at her. She was leaning upon her hands, looking up at the sky, a small smile on her face. "We all feel them. Right now, I'm angry at my parents. For going on a job I know nothing about, for keeping something from me. It's stupid, there my parents, they're allowed to keep things from me, but I feel angry anyway." 

She then turned and smiled at Theo. "I can tell you that you're not going to be replaced, that Mira and Laxus will still love you, that you are their son but it will mean nothing until you accept it yourself." Theo looked down at the ground. She was right.

"I can't lose my family. Not again." He said, voice sounding so very small. Brooke put her hand on Theo's, drawing his gaze to hers.

"And you won't. Fairy Tail is your family and always will be. And I'll always be your best friend." She said, smiling at him. Theo smiled back, feeling reassured, Cana's words being forgotten for a little while. They both turned and watched the sunset, enjoying their little bubble.

* * *

"The Orb of what?" Jace's voice came, and Levy sighed.

"The Orb of Erita," Levy said again, everyone's gaze turning to the orb in Brooke's hand. "It's one of the three Grand Royal Magic Objects."

"The Three Grand Royal Magic Objects?" Brooke questioned, and Levy opened up an ancient-looking book. 

"Once there was a powerful kingdom, its name long forgotten, that created three items to be used in the service of royalty. _The Scythe of Dracias,_ said to be blessed with the Mad King Dracias' powers. _The Sword of Thera,_ said to be blessed with the Warrior Thera's powers, and _The Orb of Erita,_ said to be blessed with the Maiden Erita's powers. All three weapons were thought lost when the kingdom fell and can only be used by royalty."

"So, that's why Brooke can only sense it's magic power? But, Brooke isn't royalty?" Lucy said, and Levy shrugged.

"Erza's mother used to rule a kingdom, making Brooke a descendant of a queen. Guess that's enough."

"Guess that means Erza will able to detect it's magic as well," Lucy concluded, and Levy nodded. Then she frowned and reached towards Clint, licking her thumb. She started rubbing at his cheek, causing Clint to squirm.

"Mum, stop." He mumbled.

"You've got dirt all over you," Levy muttered. Clint swatted her hand away, sending her a grumpy glare. She only rolled her eyes.

"So, what does it do?" Juvia asked, watching as all the children peered at the orb with curious eyes.

"It has the ability to absorb and contain all types of magic," Levy said, causing everyone to gasp in shock. Brooke blinked and looked down at the orb in her hand. It absorbs magic?

"Makes sense. Brooke hasn't had any magic outburst since she'd found it." Lucy said, causing Brooke to blinked once again. She hadn't even noticed, but it was true. She did feel more in balance than usual, not detecting any sort of magical flux. She looked down at the orb in her hand. What did this mean...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Roxy = 8  
> Jace = 9  
> Lucas = 9  
> Brooke = 10  
> Theo = 10


	16. Anger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jessica has been renamed Olivia.

**X808**

The doors to the Fairy Tail guild opened, and everyone turned to see four familiar figures enter. "We've made it back!" Natsu yelled, Happy joining him. Gray shook his head with Jellal and Erza entering the guild behind him. Natsu blinked at the screen before him. "Why are you all gathered in a circle like that?" 

"Dad!" Roxy's voice came, and she came racing towards her father, who picked her up and spun her around.

"Hey, little dragon! Did you miss me?"

"Yes!" She yelled, hugging him, causing him to chuckle. Kay greeted her father with the same enthusiasm, Jace merely huffed though he did wander over to stand next to the man. Brooke smiled at her parents, watching as they wandered over. She wasn't the 'greeting with excitement' type, and they knew that.

"Hey, sweetie," Erza said, bending down and hugging her. Brooke returned it, feeling all her anger at them disappear. She had missed them. They'd been gone a week. "I've missed you."

"We both did," Jellal said, and Brooke smiled up at him.

"I missed you too." She said as Erza pulled back and frowned at the orb in her hand.

"What are you holding? Its magical presence is weird." She said, and Jellal frowned.

"Really? I can't sense anything from it." Brooke smiled. So Lucy had been right.

"It's The Orb of Erita." Jellal's eyes widened while Erza simply frowned.

"The what?"

"But that's impossible. It's said the orb was lost when the nameless kingdom fell." He said, causing Erza to look at him with even more confusion. Brooke giggled and quickly explained to them what had been going on before they arrived. "I see, so Erza's really a princess?" Jellal said, turning to Erza, who was flushed as red at her hair.

"But that's ridiculous!" She said. Jellal smiled.

"I can see it." Erza frowned at him, her blush not going away. Brooke ignored her parents' displays of affection, having seen them all before, and turned back to the orb.

"It balances me out apparently. I haven't had a single magic flux since I'd found it." Jellal and Erza both blinked in a shock then turned to each other, grinning.

"The Outlet!" They yelled together, causing Brooke to jump. The Outlet. An idea Natsu had put in their heads that they hadn't given up on. Something to help Brooke control her overwhelming magic power and not cause massive amounts of destruction where ever she went. It was a good idea but incredibly hard to execute. Turns out, finding an object that could hold up against her magic power wasn't easy. But, the orb could work. It was supposed to absorb and contain all magic power.

"To think, this mission might have actually not been a total waste," Gray muttered as he untangled Juvia from his body, who'd greeted him with more enthusiasm than her children.

"Every mission is meaningful, especially this one," Erza told Gray as she wandered over to where Makavro were waiting for her. Jellal followed her but not before ruffling her hair. Brooke frowned at them, incredibly confused. What did that mean? She went to follow them and ask but stopped. It wouldn't do any good. If they wanted her to know, they would have told her ages ago. Abruptly, all her petty anger came flooding back, and Brooke put her back to the bar. She suddenly didn't want to be anywhere near them.

Marching forward, she grabbed Jace by the shoulder and started pulling him towards the guildhall's entrance. "Hey! What are y-"

"Rematch. And this time, it's going to be fair." Brooke said, not offering any further explanation, but she felt Jace stop struggling. Even though she probably wasn't meant to hear the next words, they were as loud as thunder.

"What's with her?" Gray asked.

"Oh, ignore them. They're just being children." Mira's voice came, and that somehow made Brooke madder. Her grip on Jace tightened as she dragged him off to the east forest, knowing Roxy, Lucas, Olivia and Kay were following. Theo and Clint were having dragon slayer magic lessons with their fathers.

"That's starting to hurt, Bee," Jace said, and Brooke stopped, causing him to slam into her. She let go and heard him fall to the ground. Then she sighed.

"I'm sorry, Jay." Jace got up. "I didn't mean to hurt you, I just..." Brooke trailed off, suddenly at a lost for words.

"It's cool." She heard Jace say and turned to see him shrugging. "So, about this rematch?" Brooke smiled at him.

"Whoever can find all the ingredients to make an East Forest stew first is the winner. We'll separate into two groups of three and meet up back here in an hour." Everyone nodded, agreeing to Brooke's challenge. Lucas grinned, rubbing his hands together.

"Dibs on Roxy!"

"No magic allowed!"

"No fair!"

* * *

"Is there a reason you choose this team?" Jace asked as he scoured the treetops, looking for any Green Berries. Brooke turned and glared at him.

"I can't trust either you or Roxy with Lucas or Olivia since all your going to do is fight!" She yelled, causing Jace to grin sheepishly. She was right, though. Coughing, Jace went back to looking at the treetops as Brooke searched the treeline for Karma Bushes. Roxy was scouring the ground, looking for any areas any Black Root could be growing.

"Haha! Jack-Pot!" Roxy yelled as she got on all fours and started digging into the dirt, looking very much like a dog. It made Jace question her mental state. "Who needs magic?" She yelled as she disappeared from eyesight into her massive hole. "Got it!" Her handing appearing, holding a bunch of Black Root.

"Good job," Brooke said as Roxy climbed out of the hole and ran over to Brooke, covered in dirt. A pouch materialised from thin air, and Roxy placed the Black Root inside. Brooke smiled at Roxy. He was glad she was looking happier, that conflicted expression from earlier not suiting her features at all. She looked more natural with a smile, the thin scars adding a sort of charm to it. Jace wished he knew what had upset her, but, unlike Theo, he didn't have the confidence to ask her. He valued breathing.

"One down, four to go." He said, and Brooke nodded.

"Yep." She turned to Roxy. "Can you go find-"

A massive roar interrupted her, causing all three children to stiffen and look up at the sky. They waited a few seconds for another cry to occur. "Could have been a Gorian?" Jace offered, but both girls shook their heads.

"No way. That didn't sound like a Gorian." Roxy said, and Brooke nodded her agreement.

"Besides, Gorians rarely, if ever roar. They don't need to with their ability to speak. That was something else." Brooke added, causing Jace to swallow. So much for that theory. The roar sounded again, much louder, and all three covered their ears, pain shooting through them.

"It's so loud!" Roxy yelled, trying to be heard over the roar.

"I know! It's hurting my ears!" Jace yelled back. A scream sounded, and Jace turned to see Brooke kneeling on the ground, a hand over her left eye. "Brooke!" Jace yelled, rushing over. The roar slowly came to a stop as he crouched down next to her, holding her shoulders. "What's wrong?"

"It's my scars. Their burning!" Brooke groaned, her grip on her eye tightening as the pain probably increased.

"Guys, something is coming," Roxy said, looking off into the treeline. "I can smell it approaching, and it doesn't come from the forest."

"Is it human?" Brooke asked, and Roxy nodded her head.

"But the thing with it isn't. It doesn't smell like any creature I've encountered before." Roxy said, her body starting to tremble. Jace felt his heartbeat increase as his gripped Brooke tighter. He hoped Lucas, Olivia and Kay were fine. Another roar sounded, this time even louder and Jace grabbed his ears, afraid his eardrums were going to burst. Brooke's screamed louder, and Jace noticed tears were beginning to well in her eyes. How much pain was she in? This roar lasted the longest, and when Jace finally released his ears, he felt exhausted.

He glanced up at the sound of footsteps, and his eyes widened at what he saw. A creature the size of the trees surrounding them was standing on two, clawed feet before them. Its feet and legs were scaly and a horrible green colour, it's upper body and arms covered in dark, smoky brown fur. It's head contained two, red eyes and a large mouth, fangs and it's forked tongue hidden inside. Three, large horns protruded from its head, two from the side and one from the front, looking like a crown. Scars littered the creature's body. Jace had never seen anything like in any of the books he'd read. It was absolutely horrifying.

A man wandered out from behind the monster, dressed in a long, black military coat, held together by steel buttons and chains. His pants were a dark grey, and his boots matched his coat perfectly. His stance was straight, and his arms were behind his back. But what made him truly terrifying was the steel mask he wore over half his face, hiding what Jace thought were burns judging from the scars creeping out. His eyes were black and cold, his hair spiky and grey. He looked like a general. His eyes wandered over the three of them before landing on Brooke and a sickening grin creeping onto his face.

"There you are, my little puppet." His voice sounded, croaky and half-muffled from the mask. Jace felt Brooke stiffen in his grip like she'd been struck with fear. It terrified him more than the man and monster before them ever could. Brooke wasn't meant to feel fear. She was meant to be strong, a force capable of protecting them from their own fears. She slowly lifted her, keeping her hand on her left eye as she took in the man before them. Jace was right. That was fear on her face. Her tears began to fall as she began to tremble.

"General X..." Brooke muttered, and the man's grin grew even wider and sicker. Jace tightened his grip on Brooke. They were in so much trouble...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Roxy = 8  
> Oliva = 8  
> Jace = 9  
> Lucas = 9  
> Kay = 9  
> Brooke = 10


	17. General X

** X808 **

"My puppet, I've been searching everywhere for you." This man, General X Brooke had whispered, started talking. "I was so worried for you after that explosion. I was afraid I'd lost you." Roxy turned and took in Brooke. She was on her knees, her hand covering her left eye, Jace holding onto her tight as tears ran down her face. Roxy tightened her fist in anger. Brooke shouldn't cry. Not ever. "But I knew that couldn't be true. I had made it so." The man continued.

"Who are you?!" Roxy yelled, causing General X's dark gaze to leave Brooke and land on her. He looked at her with utter disdain. It made Roxy shiver.

"Who is this, puppet? A play toy of yours?" He asked before his eyes landed on the red fairy tail guild mark on her hand. Then he was smirking. "Oh, I see this pest is a member of that little guild you joined." He said, turning his gaze back on Brooke, who'd seemed to have pulled herself together and was now glaring at the man through tear-ridden eyes. "You can't seriously be friends with this little bug?" He asked, causing Brooke to glare at him harder. General X sighed. "How disappointing." He muttered. Then he was raising his hand towards Roxy.

A tiny ball of light appeared, and Roxy found herself unable to move as it grew in his hand. What kind of magic was this? She stared at the man, feeling her fear grow as her ability to dodge was taken from her. Then, the ball of light was coming towards her. Roxy closed her eyes, bracing herself for the pain of the attack but it never came. After a few more seconds, she blinked her eyes open to find Brooke had shoved Jace away and was now standing, that orb in her hand. The ball of light morphed into a beam of magic as the orb absorbed it. Then, the magic was gone.

Brooke lowered her hand, panting heavily as she continued to glare at General X, her scars red and her left eye bleeding. Roxy could swear her pupil was turning white. General X looked slightly surprised. "I won't let you hurt my family," Brooke uttered darkly, causing Roxy to tremble slightly. She'd never seen her so mad. General X simply smirked.

"Oh? So they're your family now?" He asked, and Brooke glared hard at him.

"They have always been my family, a fact you can never change!" She yelled, and General X smirked dropped into a hard frown.

"We'll see about that." He muttered darkly. Then he was raising his hand again. "Kill the boy and girl, Dhaez. Leave the puppet to me." With a click of his finger, the monster was roaring again, and Roxy was raising her hands to her ears, the pain not hiding the fact that she could move again. The monster rushed forward, and Roxy jumped out of the way of its fist in time, rolling off to the side. She regained her balance and stood up.

"Fire Dragon Roar!" She yelled, sending fire hurdling towards the beast. It hit the monster dead on, causing a massive explosion. However, when the smoke cleared, the creature had taken on no damaged. It merely raised it's arm, preparing to attack Roxy again. Roxy jumped out of the way again, but it's other hand reached out, grabbing Roxy and squeezing tight. Roxy let out a cry of pain as one of the monster's claws nicked her hip.

"Ice-Make Cannon!" Jace's voice yelled, and Roxy watched as a ball of ice came flying at the beast's arm, causing it to loosen it's grip just enough for Roxy to fall out. She fell onto the ground hard and let out a yelp. She reached for her hip and could feel warm liquid flowing out of the deep wound. "Are you okay?" Jace's voice came, and Roxy forced herself up onto her knees. She had to protect Brooke. Biting her lip, Roxy nodded and lifted her head, glaring up at the monster. It looked down on the two of them and began opening up its mouth. A small ball of dark magic started growing, and Roxy knew this was going to hurt.

"Arc of Time: Flash Forward!" Lucas' voice came, and suddenly the monster was bring hit with a large boulder over and over again. It let out a cry and took a step back as the attack finished. Lucas was suddenly standing in front of Roxy, glaring at the monster.

"Lucas?" Jace questioned. "What are you doing here?"

"Saw an explosion and decided to check it out. Didn't realise you were in the middle of a battle with a reject from the book of Zeref." Lucas said, causing Roxy to grin slightly before groaning. A hand suddenly flung her arm around a neck and then she was being dragged away. Roxy turned.

"Olivia?" The girl nodded and sat her down beside a tree.

"Don't move." She said, before moving to rise Roxy's shirt. The girl gagged at the sight. "Jace! Come close this, will you?" She asked, turning away and putting a hand to her mouth. Roxy smiled slightly.

"Princess." She muttered as Jace came over and took in her wound. He frowned and looked her in the eye.

"You're going to be fine." He said, and Roxy nodded before he turned and put his hand on her wound. Roxy gasped as freezing ice covered her skin, burning her skin cold. "That should do it for now, but we need to get you to Porlyusica." He said as Roxy nodded and turned her attention back to the battle at hand. Lucas was holding his own against the monster, actually causing some damaged.

"Where's Kay?" Roxy coughed out, and Olivia smiled at her.

"She went to get our parents. They'll be here soon." Roxy nodded. That wasn't a horrible idea. A cry redirected her attention, and she watched as Lucas was lifted up by the monster using his arm. A sickening crushing sound occurred, and he was crying out.

"Lucas!" Roxy yelled, watching as he dropped to the ground, holding his broken arm. The monster raised its foot, ready to crush him when a massive hammer connected with its face, sending the beast to the ground with a thud. Roxy blinked and turned her gaze to Brooke, who panting heavily, cuts and bruises all over her body. General X was kneeling on the ground, a finger wiping at his lip. Roxy had forgotten she'd been fighting the man. Olivia used the opportunity to go over and help Lucas, who, while conscious, was in intense pain.

General X started laughing, causing Brooke's attention to go back to the man. "I'm impressed, little puppet. You actually made me bleed." He said as he stood back up. He raised his head and sent a blood-chilling glare at her, causing fear to make it's way onto the girl's face once again. "You'll pay for that." He said, suddenly appearing in front of Brooke. His hand shot out, grabbing Brooke by the neck before she could react and lifting her up. "Time for your punishment." He growled, eyes alit with murderous intent. Jace made to get up.

"Brooke!" He shouted, making to go to her but an explosion under his feet sent him stumbling. He hissed and looked back at his feet, which were severely injured. 

"Now, pay close attention puppet." He said, looking over at his monster. Roxy followed his gaze, watching as the monster got up. It stood up on its two feet again until it was standing over Lucas and Olivia, the latter being oblivious to the danger. But Lucas wasn't. His eyes widened.

"Olivia, look out!" He yelled as the monster slowly raised its hand. Olivia turned, her eyes going wide with fear at the monster standing before her. It brought it's hand down, striking Olivia and sending her flying.

"OLIVIA!!" Roxy screeched as Olivia hit a tree with enough force to cause a dent. Then she was falling to the ground. "NO!" Roxy watched as Olivia lay there on the ground, unmoving. She wasn't moving...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Roxy = 8  
> Oliva = 8  
> Jace = 9  
> Lucas = 9  
> Kay = 9  
> Brooke = 10


	18. Death

** X808 **

Brooke watched as Olivia lay there on the ground, unmoving. Roxy slowly crawled over to Olivia, tears welling up in her eyes. "Olivia!" She yelled as she reached the girl. She rolled the girl over, causing Olivia to cough.

"R-Roxy." She stuttered, sounding incredibly weak. General X threw her to the ground like she was a rag doll. Brooke landed with a groan but ignored the pain and looked up at Roxy and Olivia.

"Don't talk, don't waste your strength. You're going to be fine." Roxy said, sounding so very small and weak. Olivia coughed again as blood started to leak from her mouth. Roxy leaned over Olivia, her tears falling on the girl's face. "You're going to be just fine." She repeated. Olivia smiled weakly. 

"I know...I will." She struggled to get out. Brooke climbed to her knees, wanting to go over and hold Olivia, to help her, but she found herself frozen. General X wouldn't let her move, wouldn't let her help. Lucas sat up, holding his broken arm, watching the screen, guilt and pain so evident on his face. Jace struggled to his feet but immediately collapsed onto his knees, his injured feet unable to support him.

"Don't talk." Roxy insisted, grabbing Olivia's hand. "Don't waste your strength." Olivia coughed again, this time blood coming up with it. Brooke's eyes widened. She was dying. She was going to die, and they couldn't do anything about it. Olivia smiled up at Roxy.

"Tel-ll my p-pare-ents...t-that I...love-e...them..." Olivia whispered then she went limp. Roxy's eyes widened.

"Olivia?" No movement.

"Olivia!?" Still no movement. Not even a breath.

"OLIVIA!"

Brooke watched, feeling her tears coming back full-force. Olivia was dead. She'd just died. General X had just killed her. Her friend, her guild-sister, a member of her family, had just died in front of her eyes. Olivia's body was limp; her chest no longer rising. Those deep dark blue eyes were glossed over, staring off into the distance but no longer seeing. Roxy was sobbing, calling Olivia's name over and over. Lucas was in shock, frozen to his spot. Jace was crawling over to Olivia's body; his eyes glassy with tears. She was gone. Nothing they said or did would bring her back. She was officially gone, and Brooke hadn't been able to save her. Hadn't been able to do anything.

Brooke felt her magic power begin to stir as her grief hit her full force. Her tears began to fall as memories of Olivia flashed through her brain. When she'd met the sassy princess upon returning, she had to grow to love her like a sister because she got on her nerves, her and Roxy's constant wrestling matches, acting like Jace and Lucas. All those precious memories flashed behind her eyes as her magic power grew, beginning to create little winds that circled her. Evergreen and Elfman had lost their only daughter. Her brother, Caleb, would have to go on living without his little sister. The wind picked up as her magic increased.

She began to sob heavily, feeling the weight of her emotions pressed down on her. She wanted to rewind time, to change her mind and not go into the East Forest, to put aside her petty anger and confront her parents. She'd been a coward, and now Olivia was dead. Brooke began to sob heavily as her magic power began to build and build. She ignored the surprised, frightened and grief-stricken looks Roxy, Jace and Lucas threw her way, too caught up in her own grief. In her own failing. She'd failed. Her magical pressure continued to build, causing strong winds that began to bring in leaves and sticks. Why hadn't she done better? It should have been her.

Eventually, the magical pressure became too much, and Brooke let out a scream filled with anguish. Her magical pressure snapped, and it released itself, causing a massive sphere of pure magic to form and grow outwards, destroying everything in its path, though it left Roxy, Jace and Lucas unharmed. The magic sphere sent General X and the monster flying, though Brooke didn't notice. She just continued to cry and sob.

* * *

Eventually, the white sphere vanished, and Roxy blinked her eyes opened, surprised that she was unharmed. Brooke was on her knees, in a crater, surrounded by destruction. The surrounding trees had been ripped from the ground, the bushes destroyed. It looked like the way Roxy currently felt. Brooke continued to sob, continued to be deaf to the world. Roxy wanted to go over there and comfort her but she couldn't. Not when she felt the same way. Instead, she turned and laid herself across Olivia's body, sobbing.

She didn't know how long she laid like that but eventually, her mother's voice reached her ears. "Roxy!" Blinking, Roxy lifted her head and peered over Olivia's body. Was it really her mother? She squinted, watching as her mother's familiar figure entered her eyesight, followed closely by her father. It was them! "Roxy!" Lucy called as she got closer. She stopped and gasped upon seeing Olivia's body. Roxy looked down, and her tears started flowing again.

"Mum...she..." Roxy couldn't bring herself to say it. It didn't matter though because Lucy wrapped her in her arms, pulling her close. Roxy wrapped her arms around her mother and sobbed, her father joining their hug at some point. She ignored the pain in her hip as she let out her grief in her mother's arms. She turned her head and watched as Jace accepted his father's comfort without question. She then turned her head to the other side and watched as Lucas continued to peered down at Olivia's body, even after Evergreen and Elfman arrived and realised what happened.

Evergreen's cry of anguish rivalled Brooke's scream from earlier. Roxy made to reach for Lucas and Natsu must have noticed because he grabbed Lucas and maneuvered him into their huddle, being careful of his arm. They stayed like that for a while, listening to the cries of anguish from Evergreen and the sobbing of Elfman. They listened to the world around them as they grieved for Olivia. Eventually, Roxy drew her head back, and her eyes landed on Brooke, who was unconscious in her mother's arms.

"What happened?" Lucy asked gently, and Roxy looked down at the ground before her eyes landed on the knocked out monster who'd caused all this suffering and sorrow. General X was nowhere in sight. She turned back to her mother.

"We weren't strong enough." She tearfully uttered, "This is our fault." Lucy shook her head, drawing Roxy back to her chest.

"Not, it is not. This was not your fault." She said, and Roxy gripped her mother tight. But it was. They hadn't been strong enough to protect Olivia, and now she was gone. They'd failed...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Roxy = 8  
> Oliva = 8  
> Jace = 9  
> Lucas = 9  
> Kay = 9  
> Brooke = 10


End file.
